Is it possible for my body to produce energy after death?

If your body is of average composition, approximately 15 percent of it is fat. Through daily movements and body heat, you can generate around 11,000 watt-hours of energy each day. If this energy could be fully converted into electricity, simply walking around would produce about 163 watts. Even while sleeping, your body continues to generate energy, producing roughly 81 watts [source: Baard]. But what happens after death? Surprisingly, your decomposing body can still be a source of energy.

Leaving your estate to your children and your body to science is common, but what if your corpse could be used to recharge batteries instead of just donating organs? This innovative idea is part of the "AfterLife Project" by James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau from the Royal College of Art, showcased at MoMA's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit in New York City. It leverages microbial fuel cell technology to achieve this.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology represents a cutting-edge approach to renewable energy, where organic material (such as a decomposing body) is transformed into electricity by bacteria. These microorganisms consume organic substances, converting them into carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Typically, bacteria use this energy for their own metabolic processes, but MFC technology allows us to capture this energy as usable electricity.

Generating energy using MFCs is far from fictional; researchers have tested organic materials like pig waste, beer, and sewage. However, harnessing gastric fluids from a decaying body presents a unique challenge. The concept involves storing decomposition-generated electricity in rechargeable batteries. Similar to traditional fuel cells, MFCs feature two terminals—an anode (negative) and a cathode (positive)—along with an electrolyte solution that facilitates ion movement between terminals. MFCs are capable of powering compact devices.

If the idea of spending eternity as a perpetual energy source doesn’t appeal to you, there are alternative ways to leave a positive legacy on the planet.

Green for Eternity

If you’ve dedicated your life to environmental sustainability, why end it with harmful embalming chemicals, a non-degradable coffin, and burial under a chemically maintained cemetery lawn?

Eco-friendly burial options, already embraced by Europeans, are gaining traction in the United States. A 2007 AARP poll revealed that 21 percent of Americans over 50 are interested in green burials. Additionally, nearly half of Americans in the same age group expressed a desire for more information about environmentally conscious funeral practices, as reported by American Cemetery Magazine [source: Shannon].

What defines a burial as "green"? Green burials eliminate formaldehyde in embalming, avoid metal or rare wood caskets, and skip concrete burial vaults. The goal is to minimize the carbon footprint of your afterlife by reducing toxins, waste, and carbon emissions during burial. This is achieved by replacing traditional choices with eco-friendly alternatives: biodegradable caskets made from fair-trade bamboo, "Ecopods" crafted from recycled newspaper, biodegradable cremation urns, and natural fiber shrouds. Toxic chemicals are also removed, with dry ice or refrigeration replacing formaldehyde, a known carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC) [source: National Cancer Institute]. Cemetery landscapes are preserved, and lawns remain pesticide-free.

Cremation is a globally popular choice and has long been viewed as more environmentally friendly than traditional burial. However, this isn’t entirely accurate: Crematoriums require significant energy to reach temperatures over 1,832 degrees F (1,000 degrees C) and release harmful substances like dioxin, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere [source: Koerth-Baker and Green Burials]. Some European countries are addressing this issue by repurposing the intense heat generated during cremation into usable energy. For instance, Helsingborg, Sweden, derives 10 percent of its home heating energy from local crematoriums [source: Koerth-Baker].

There are also unconventional methods for recycling human remains, though these practices are not yet widely adopted.

For those who wish to remain environmentally conscious even after death, consider alkaline hydrolysis. This process dissolves the body into a sterile, brown syrup with the consistency of motor oil, which can be safely disposed of down the drain. A steel cylinder breaks down the body using lye, 300-degree F (149-degree C) heat, and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch (4.2 kilogram-force per square centimeter) [source: Cheng]. Currently, this method is used for disposing of research cadavers, medical waste, and animal carcasses in veterinary schools, medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and by the U.S. government. While the funeral industry has shown interest, it remains a controversial option. A bill to legalize alkaline hydrolysis in New York was dubbed the "Hannibal Lecter Bill," and some religious groups, like a Roman Catholic diocese in New Hampshire, view the process as undignified [source: Cheng].

If the idea of being flushed away doesn’t appeal to you, why not consider being transformed into a synthetic coral reef, graphite, or even jewelry? Sea burials using artificial coral reefs combine your cremated remains, or cremains, with concrete to create a marine habitat that also serves as a memorial. Alternatively, converting the carbon from your cremains into graphite allows you to live on as a diamond or, more modestly, as a lifetime supply of pencils.

With so many innovative options for your body after death, who says you have to end up as worm food?