Is there any way to automate biofuel production?

[GONDAL]

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[Tankfriend]

Of course. You can set up constructors to turn leaves, wood etc. into biomass and lead that into constructors turning the biomass into solid biofuel. If you want, you can then lead that into refineries (also adding water) to turn it into liquid biofuel and lead that into more refineries (also adding empty canisters) to turn it into packaged liquid biofuel.

What is currently not possible (without mods, at least) is automatically feeding it into biomass burners. You still have to feed those by hand. As such, it's a good idea to jump to coal power as soon as possible.

[a person]

you have to put the leaves, wood and other crap in manually. ideally, collect a lot of it and place it into a container, that is connected to a constructor that is set to convert the singular product you want to make into biomass, then to a secondary constructor, creating biomass into solid biofuel. then place another container and the end of the second constructor. Bear in bind, you have to place each individual product into its own container, leading to its own constructor. All biomass works the same. Regardless of what ingredient, so you can lead all biomass into one constructor to make them all collectively into solid biofuel.

[Timi]

Originally posted by a person:

Bear in bind, you have to place each individual product into its own container, leading to its own constructor.

Or use Smart Splitters. That way you can have leaves/wood/carapace storage bin, which a smart splitter automatically distributes to the constructors. Then merge that belt back again for solid biofuel processing etc.

[Meewec]

Originally posted by Timi:

Originally posted by a person:

Bear in bind, you have to place each individual product into its own container, leading to its own constructor.

Or use Smart Splitters. That way you can have leaves/wood/carapace storage bin, which a smart splitter automatically distributes to the constructors. Then merge that belt back again for solid biofuel processing etc.

if you're still using enough biofuel to warrant consideration of automating the process when you have smart splitters i'm pretty sure you're doing something wrong

[DrNewcenstein]

Alien Organs turn out a LOT of biomass, even though (or since?) they're more dangerous to collect. Build bombs, build sky bridges, bomb the critters to death, collect the reward.

Put the parts into a small container that feeds into a Constructor to make biomass, feed the constructor into a refinery with water to make liquid biofuel, but you'll also need oil from which to make plastic, from which to make empty canisters, which have to feed into another refinery along with the liquid biofuel to create packaged biofuel.

So, you need:
- 1 storage container (the 24-slot one, not the little yellow toolbox or the jumbo double container) to hold the raw components (if you're also doing carapace, wood, and leaves, and want it all to be totally automated, you'll need 4 containers running into their own Constructor)
- 2 Constructors: one to turn raw materials into biomass (if you want it to be totally automated, and you have separate containers for organs, carapace, wood, and leaves, you'll need 4 Constructors for biomass), and one to turn plastic (from a refinery) into empty containers
- 1 Oil Extractor (for crude oil to make plastic from)
- 4 Refineries (one to turn Crude Oil into Plastic + Heavy Oil Residue, one to do something with the Heavy Oil Residue, such as Fuel + PolyResin or packaged heavy oil residue, one to turn the biomass into liquid biofuel, and one to turn the liquid biofuel into packaged liquid biofuel using the empty containers. If you're making packaged heavy oil reside, you need another refinery for that.

If you want an automated biomass collector, like a lawn mower with a bag attachment, there isn't one. If you use bombs to take out trees, there's nothing left to collect, so those have to be taken with the chainsaw, which only runs on biofuel, which you make from biomass......yeah, it's a sadistic loop

[DrNewcenstein]

Originally posted by Meewec:

Originally posted by Timi:

Or use Smart Splitters. That way you can have leaves/wood/carapace storage bin, which a smart splitter automatically distributes to the constructors. Then merge that belt back again for solid biofuel processing etc.

if you're still using enough biofuel to warrant consideration of automating the process when you have smart splitters i'm pretty sure you're doing something wrong

Alternate recipe uses biomass + polyresin to make fabric, which is used to make parachutes, gas filters, and iodine infused filters for the hazmat suit, so automated biomass is handy. As well, carapace and organs turn out a lot of biomass, and doing it by hand is only when you have nothing else to do.

[Timi]

Originally posted by Meewec:

if you're still using enough biofuel to warrant consideration of automating the process when you have smart splitters i'm pretty sure you're doing something wrong

There are uses for biomass outside of the bio generators. Automating it it's less of a hassle of what to do with the junk leaves, carapaces, wood and petals in your inventory, when you can just throw them into The Machine, and receive biomass/color ammo/biofuel etc without hassling with processing it yourself.

(besides, you can get Smart Splitters before Coal Generators)

[Shane]

dont use alien organs for biomass, use those for inhalers
the carapace is okay for biomass however...

and you can automate the sorting process of it right upto packaged biofuel but you still have to manually load the factory. personally i wished the packed biofuel ran the jetpack because its not worth bothering with really once you have coal sorted.

its probably better you just sink it mostly speaking.

[Timi]

Originally posted by Shane:

dont use alien organs for biomass, use those for inhalers

Organs yes, but Carapaces have no other use than biomass.

[Shane]

it got edited, just crawled outta bed ;)

[black]

Check out refined power mod: https://ficsit.app/

[Ruges]

Originally posted by Meewec:

Originally posted by Timi:

Or use Smart Splitters. That way you can have leaves/wood/carapace storage bin, which a smart splitter automatically distributes to the constructors. Then merge that belt back again for solid biofuel processing etc.

if you're still using enough biofuel to warrant consideration of automating the process when you have smart splitters i'm pretty sure you're doing something wrong

Yea I found it funny, by the time you unlock smart splitters your past the point of needing smart splitters.

As far as automating it. I have 2 storage containers next to the hub. 1 I put leaves in and the other I put wood into . I store everything else as they have uses later on. the leaves go into a constructor which makes biomass, and the wood goes into another constuctor that also makes biomass. this goes into a 3rd container in the back which goes into a 3rd constructor which makes the biofuel which gets sent out to a 4th container next to the first 2. Nice and organized.

[The Ohio Question]

Originally posted by Ruges:

Originally posted by Meewec:

if you're still using enough biofuel to warrant consideration of automating the process when you have smart splitters i'm pretty sure you're doing something wrong

Yea I found it funny, by the time you unlock smart splitters your past the point of needing smart splitters.

As far as automating it. I have 2 storage containers next to the hub. 1 I put leaves in and the other I put wood into . I store everything else as they have uses later on. the leaves go into a constructor which makes biomass, and the wood goes into another constuctor that also makes biomass. this goes into a 3rd container in the back which goes into a 3rd constructor which makes the biofuel which gets sent out to a 4th container next to the first 2. Nice and organized.

?? Uhhh, no, smart splitters are useful for the entire game.

[GONDAL]

When does one unlock the coal generator?

[The Ohio Question]

Originally posted by spaciousspace:

When does one unlock the coal generator?

Tier 3, under coal power in your Hub projects.