Brackwax

Brackwax is a refined material produced from Brackene and used in late-game manufacturing and transit logistics. It can be obtained in two ways: by processing Brackene in a Brackwax Gleaner, or by heating Brackene directly. The gleaner converts 1000 g/s Brackene into 90 g/s Brackwax, 810 g/s Brine, and 100 g/s Carbon Dioxide. Heating Brackene to 83 °C instead converts 1000 g of Brackene into 900 g Brine and 100 g Brackwax, which yields slightly more Brackwax and avoids the Carbon Dioxide byproduct.

Further heating changes the output again: at 105.75 °C, the Brine boils off and leaves 630 g Steam, 270 g Salt, and 100 g Brackwax. This makes hot Brackene processing easier to manage in a steam room, since the liquid byproducts can be simplified into gas and solids. Brackwax itself has poor thermal conductivity and can remain stable for some time in hot environments, but it will irreversibly melt into Naphtha at 162.9 °C.

Brackwax is used for two notable applications:

• In the Molecular Forge, 15 kg Thermium + 70 kg Plastic + 15 kg Brackwax = 100 kg Plastium.
• Duplicants can coat themselves with Brackwax to move faster through Transit Tubes, consuming 50 g per use and increasing travel speed by 25%.

Because Brackwax production often creates Brine and sometimes Carbon Dioxide, it is easiest to set up the refinery near systems that can handle liquid and gas byproducts cleanly. The heating method is particularly useful when paired with hot industrial areas, since it can turn Brackene into Brackwax while also producing manageable secondary outputs.