Sand

Sand is a common raw material element found across many biomes, especially in the Temperate Biome. Large deposits can also appear in the Caustic Biome, and the Oasisse asteroid contains abundant hot Sand. It is one of the game’s most useful processing inputs, serving as filter media, ranch feed, and a key ingredient for glass production.

Sand is consumed by several machines and critters, and it can also be produced from a variety of renewable loops. Rock Crusher can break Salt and some rocks into Sand, while Dirt overheated enough will convert into Sand. In addition, Pokeshells eat Polluted Dirt and Rot Pile and excrete Sand, making them a renewable source if their diet is maintained. Sand can also be harvested from renewable space POIs during rocket missions.

• Water Sieve uses Sand to turn Polluted Water into Water at a 5 kg/s to 1 kg/s ratio, producing Polluted Dirt as waste.
• Deodorizer uses Sand to convert Polluted Oxygen into Oxygen, producing Clay as a byproduct.
• Glass Forge consumes Sand to produce Molten Glass.
• Hatches eat Sand and excrete Coal.
• Dasha Saltvine domestic growth requires 7 kg of Sand per cycle.

Sand also has several notable processing chains. Table Salt can be recovered from Salt Water Geysers or Cool Salt Slush Geysers and then turned into Sand through crushing. Igneous Rock produced from cooled magma can be crushed into Sand as well. Ceramic can be broken down into Sand, used in Deodorizers, and the resulting Clay can be reused, creating a mass-positive loop when managed carefully. Fullerene crafted at the Molecular Forge can be crushed into Graphite, which can then be part of another sustainable Sand-producing chain when tied to the right geysers and volcanos.

When heated to 1715.85 °C, Sand melts into Molten Glass. Because of this, Sand is not only a disposable utility resource but also an important stepping stone toward glassmaking and several self-sustaining production systems. Sand tiles also collapse if nothing solid supports them from below, which can entomb anything they fall onto.