Have the ability to produce phosphorite

[manu_x32]

Hey guys,

I have a fully sustainable base right now, the only thing missing is optional but would be great, is to be able to produce phosphorite somehow to keep feeding the pincha pepperplants without having to dig more phosphorite.  Either through a transformation process, a new machine, or new creatures...

It's one of the few resources that doesn't seem renewable right now, or at least noone seems to have found how to do it.

I tried a couple of things with phosphorus gas, but was only able to turn it to solid phosphorus which doesn't seem to be the same as phosphorite, and dupes don't want to sweep it for some reason, and there's no category for it in the storage compactors...

I started this thread about it in the regular forum: 

 

I hope this happens, thanks!

 

[BlueLance]

If you could further process fertilizer that would be great, since it does contain it. well kinda, not sure is Phosphorous an Phosphorite are the same thing?

[manu_x32]

10 hours ago, BlueLance said:

If you could further process fertilizer that would be great, since it does contain it. well kinda, not sure is Phosphorous an Phosphorite are the same thing?

Yeah that could work.

According to the ONI wiki, phosphorus and phosphorite are related, but not sure how accurate this wiki is: https://oxygennotincluded.gamepedia.com/Category:Phosphorus

 

[brummbar7]

Phosphorite is just a rock that contains lots of phosphorus.  I suspect that using phosphorite for fertilizer is a placeholder mechanic.  I think we'll eventually have to refine phosphorite into phosphorus, and phosphorus will be the actual fertilizer.  We just don't have the refinement mechanism right now.  Once we do, there will likely be other ways to produce phosphorus as well.  But I don't think we'll be sythesizing phosphorite itself, because again, that's a rock type.   Though who knows what organic methods we might have, considering we have little crabs that make coal? 

[manu_x32]

34 minutes ago, brummbar7 said:

Phosphorite is just a rock that contains lots of phosphorus.  I suspect that using phosphorite for fertilizer is a placeholder mechanic.  I think we'll eventually have to refine phosphorite into phosphorus, and phosphorus will be the actual fertilizer.  We just don't have the refinement mechanism right now.  Once we do, there will likely be other ways to produce phosphorus as well.  But I don't think we'll be sythesizing phosphorite itself, because again, that's a rock type.   Though who knows what organic methods we might have, considering we have little crabs that make coal? 

That makes sense, I keep forgetting that this game is early access.

There's lots of phosphorus gas and liquid at the bottom of the map, so I guess they will eventually make it useful...

[BlueLance]

Over time that gas and liquid will solidify at least XD Then again I do not know if thats a good or bad thing haha. 

[trukogre]

On 9/12/2017 at 0:22 PM, brummbar7 said:

Phosphorite is just a rock that contains lots of phosphorus.  I suspect that using phosphorite for fertilizer is a placeholder mechanic.  I think we'll eventually have to refine phosphorite into phosphorus, and phosphorus will be the actual fertilizer.  We just don't have the refinement mechanism right now.  Once we do, there will likely be other ways to produce phosphorus as well.  But I don't think we'll be sythesizing phosphorite itself, because again, that's a rock type.   Though who knows what organic methods we might have, considering we have little crabs that make coal? 

phosphorite is described as a mixture of phosphates and sedimentary rock.  Phosphates are the compounds which are used to deliver phosphorous to plants in real world fertilizers (phosphate is just p2o5).  I imagine this is less for reasons of bioavailability, and more that pure phosphorous would tend to get reduced to phosphates anyway once added to soil, so why go to the effort of refining it?  Like I said in the other thread, the likely renewable method of making phosphates would be grinding bones (which are largely made of calcium phosphate, CaP2O5) ; so should be added with the 'animal update'

[brummbar7]

@trukogre  You're getting a bit hung up on real world technicalities.  If the code is capable of having a plant accept more than one type of fertilizer, then sure, they could have them accept straight phosphorite, and also phosphates, or phosphorus, or whatever.  But I don't think that's how it works.  And if that's not how it works, then a choice has to be made at some point as to what the fertilizer will be.  This is a made up world so Klei can do anything they want, including have a mob that poops out phosphorite, or have use get from meteorites, or whatever.   But if plants only accept one fertilizer, then either phosphorite will be on the menu, or it won't.  If it's not, then why is it in the game, if not to be refined into whatever is?  Your bone idea could be, but it has no precedent in the game, or anything to indicate it will be.  On the other hand, phosphorite is already being used as a (possibly interim) fertilizer, and elemental phosphorus is known to exist, probably as a result of melted phosphorite.  On the balance of evidence, I'd say my guess has more probability than yours.  That is, unless the code actually can accept multiple fertilizer types per plant.  Then sure, whatever, everything is fair game.

[trukogre]

48 minutes ago, brummbar7 said:

@trukogre  You're getting a bit hung up on real world technicalities.  If the code is capable of having a plant accept more than one type of fertilizer, then sure, they could have them accept straight phosphorite, and also phosphates, or phosphorus, or whatever.  But I don't think that's how it works.  And if that's not how it works, then a choice has to be made at some point as to what the fertilizer will be.  This is a made up world so Klei can do anything they want, including have a mob that poops out phosphorite, or have use get from meteorites, or whatever.   But if plants only accept one fertilizer, then either phosphorite will be on the menu, or it won't.  If it's not, then why is it in the game, if not to be refined into whatever is?  Your bone idea could be, but it has no precedent in the game, or anything to indicate it will be.  On the other hand, phosphorite is already being used as a (possibly interim) fertilizer, and elemental phosphorus is known to exist, probably as a result of melted phosphorite.  On the balance of evidence, I'd say my guess has more probability than yours.  That is, unless the code actually can accept multiple fertilizer types per plant.  Then sure, whatever, everything is fair game.

I disagree, although as you note Klei can do whatever they want, when it comes to probabilities the point is that they more often than not base their decision on how it works in ONI on how it works in the real world, which is why phosphorite is used a fertilizer in the first place.  Calling the real world a "technicality" is amusing though, thanks for the laugh.