Algae Distiller

The Algae Distiller is a refining building that processes Slime into Algae and Polluted Water. It is one of the main ways to turn swamp-derived materials into a dependable oxygen-production supply, and it becomes especially useful once a colony begins harvesting the Swamp Biome. In practice, it is a mid-game support building that trades a dirty, disease-prone resource for a cleaner material flow that can be fed into Oxygen Diffusers or other oxygen systems.

The building is slow, so a single unit may not be enough if a colony has access to large amounts of Slime. Its outputs are also inconvenient to handle: it emits Polluted Water, heats up quickly, and has low decor, so it is best placed away from living areas or enclosed in a sealed industrial room. Even so, it is valued because it creates two very important resources: Algae and, indirectly, Water when the Polluted Water is processed through a Water Sieve.

A single Algae Distiller processes 360 kg of Slime per cycle, producing 120 kg of Algae and 240 kg of Polluted Water. If the Algae is routed into an Oxygen Diffuser, it can support oxygen production while also converting a Slime supply into usable liquids. The building is also an inherently heat-multiplying machine: if the input Slime is 30 °C or warmer, the total heat capacity of its output is about 14.26 times higher than that of its inputs. Colder input increases this ratio further, so cold Slime can still become a significant heat source after processing.

Because the input is often contaminated with Slimelung, the output Algae may also be infected. This is usually manageable, since Slimelung only spreads when inhaled and dies off quickly in most gases other than Polluted Oxygen. Still, there are several ways to reduce risk:

• Place the distiller output in a room filled with Chlorine, or pass the Algae through an Ore Scrubber before use, to sterilize it.
• Use the Polluted Water directly when possible, since Slimelung does not survive long in liquid.
• If the Algae will feed Oxygen Diffusers, a Buddy Bud nearby can suppress airborne Slimelung by saturating the area with Floral Scent, but this must be used carefully around Duplicants with Allergies.

The building can also fit into more advanced resource loops. In setups involving Arbor Trees, Ethanol Distillers, Petroleum Generators, and Puft ranching, the Algae Distiller can supply the remaining Polluted Water needed for irrigation while the rest of the chain produces Polluted Dirt, Slime, Meat, and large amounts of Carbon Dioxide.