we need more uses for coal

[goboking]

I'm currently sitting on about 600 tonnes of coal, the overwhelming majority of which came from hatches.  I've long since outgrown coal generators and there are currently no other uses for the stuff^[1].  I once proposed an incinerator that uses coal to destroy unwanted material, producing ash and heat in their stead.  I've seen others propose a smelter that can be used to create steel and other alloys.  Are there any other uses they could add for coal?  Or have we pretty much tapped the well that is coal utility already?

[1] Technically vitamin chews require coal, but given how impotent germs are at the moment there's no real need to produce more them in any great quantity.

[NurdRage]

A very roundabout use is to feed them into coal generators and collect the CO2 to feed to slicksters. From there you get oil which gives you petroleum and in turn plastic.

Yeah its really roundabout and i'm not sure if it's worth it but it's an option.

Nonetheless i do generally agree there should be more uses for coal. Maybe we can get a diamond press later that converts coal to diamonds.

Now that i think of it, coal should be an option for the rock crusher to made sand. The real life parallel is that activated charcoal is used for water filtration. 

 

[BlueLance]

Its a power source in the end, I do agree I wish there were more uses because if i stopped my other power sources I would have gas backing up in my pipes for days

[CodingKitteh]

Coal + Refining = Carbon Fiber / Nano technology

Would be so awesome if this was the final tier of the game beyond plastic.

 

Carbon Fiber is already stronger than steel, in real life.

[Gabrysiek]

14 hours ago, CodingKitteh said:

Coal + Refining = Carbon Fiber / Nano technology

Would be so awesome if this was the final tier of the game beyond plastic.

 

Carbon Fiber is already stronger than steel, in real life.

YEAH!

[RamVivat]

but for what you need diamonds?

to mine neutronium? and it helps, you think? - other use of diamonds i can't realise. 

[Michi01]

12 hours ago, RamVivat said:

but for what you need diamonds?

to mine neutronium? and it helps, you think? - other use of diamonds i can't realise. 

You could use it to make more efficient mining tools that are faster for example.

[goboking]

1 hour ago, Michi01 said:

You could use it to make more efficient mining tools that are faster for example.

At some point in down the line I'd love to see them add upgrade projects (improved mining tools, improved weaponry, etc) to the game to prolong the relevance of research.  Diamonds make sense as a requisite to upgrade diggings tools.