Sublimation Station

The Sublimation Station is a building that converts polluted dirt into polluted oxygen. It is one of the few ways to turn a solid waste product into a breathable gas, making it especially useful in colonies that generate large amounts of polluted dirt from sanitation, industrial loops, or ethanol production.

Its output is not clean oxygen, however. A Sublimation Station produces polluted oxygen, which means nearby dupes will suffer Yucky Lungs if they breathe it directly, increasing their oxygen consumption by 30%. If the polluted oxygen is left unfiltered, one continuously running Sublimation Station can support about 5 Duplicants. This saves power and filtration medium, but it also creates a polluted oxygen atmosphere that can spread Slimelung and cannot be piped to some buildings such as the Atmo Suit Dock.

For cleaner operation, the polluted oxygen can be passed through Deodorizers. Converting the output of one continuously running Sublimation Station into Oxygen requires about 6.6 Deodorizers, adding 33 W of power consumption and using 880 g/s of Filtration Medium. In return, the deodorized output can support 6 Duplicants, and the produced clay is a valuable byproduct for Ceramic production. This makes the building a strong source of clay in colonies that can afford the filtration cost.

The Sublimation Station has excellent synergy with ethanol-based industry. Turning Arbor Trees into Ethanol generates large amounts of polluted dirt, and three Ethanol Distillers can supply enough polluted dirt for one Sublimation Station. Ethanol can also be burned in a Petroleum Generator to produce much of the polluted water needed to irrigate new domestic Arbor Trees, although the overall loop is still water-negative. Even so, using a Sublimation Station instead of an Electrolyzer can save a colony hundreds of kilograms of water per cycle.

It also pairs well with Puft ranching. Pufts consume large amounts of polluted oxygen and produce Slime in return, which can be used for farming certain plants, ranching certain critters, generating Oxygen, or even water production. In colonies built around polluted dirt, this makes the Sublimation Station part of a broader resource loop rather than just a simple waste converter.

• Use it when you have excess polluted dirt and want either low-cost polluted oxygen or filtered Oxygen.
• If you want to avoid Yucky Lungs and Slimelung risk, route the output through Deodorizers.
• If your colony can tolerate polluted oxygen, you can skip filtration and save power and Filtration Medium.
• Its clay output makes it a practical support building for Ceramic production.
• It is especially effective in ethanol and Puft-based systems, where polluted dirt is abundant.