Pondscum

Pondscum is a slime-derived resource used as the input for the Algae Distiller, where it is processed into Algae and Polluted Water. This makes it part of the chain that turns Swamp Biome materials into oxygen production and useful byproducts, especially once a colony reaches mid-game and begins handling larger amounts of contaminated materials.

An Algae Distiller is slow enough that one machine may not be sufficient if large quantities of Pondscum are available. Its operation also creates heat, produces Polluted Water, and has poor decor, so it is best kept away from living areas or isolated in a sealed room. In return, it supports two major resource streams: Algae for oxygen production and Polluted Water for farming or other processing.

Pondscum produced through this chain is often contaminated with Slimelung, but that is usually manageable. Slimelung spreads by inhalation and does not survive long in most materials other than polluted oxygen, so immediate use is often safe. If sterilization is desired, storing the Algae in Chlorine or passing it through an Ore Scrubber will remove germs before use. The resulting Polluted Water is generally safe because Slimelung does not last long in liquids.

A few practical notes apply when building around Pondscum processing:

• One Algae Distiller can process 360 kg of input per cycle, producing 120 kg of Algae and 240 kg of Polluted Water.
• The distiller is a heat multiplier; with Slime at 30 °C or warmer, its output carries about 14.26 times as much total heat capacity as its input.
• If the Algae is used for an Oxygen Diffuser, a single distiller can support nearly three Diffusers’ worth of output.
• If the Algae is used for Algae Terrariums, the setup can be more efficient in oxygen terms, but it requires significant dupe labor and a large amount of clean water.
• Cleaning the Polluted Water with a Water Sieve is possible, but usually not the best use of the output; using it directly for crops such as Thimble Reed, Arbor Tree, or Pincha Pepper is often more efficient.
• In Spaced Out!, the distiller also synergizes with Puft ranching and Arbor Tree farming, especially in systems that already generate Polluted Water from ethanol power production.

Because the machine is slow and heat-producing, Pondscum processing is most effective when integrated into a larger loop rather than treated as a standalone source of Algae.