Coal smelter

[Michi01]

This topic has been brought up in other threads before but I think it doesn't hurt for it to have its own thread and I also made this thread because I want to make a poll to see what other people think.
So the Automation Upgrade (preview) added two ways to refine metal: An electric metal refinery that smelts metal ores into refined metals and a rock granulator that inefficiently crushes the ores into refined metals and sand (and can also turn raw minerals into sand). As shown by screenshots of early versions of the game, there actually is a metal refinery that uses coal to smelt metals that was removed before the release of the game (presumably because the metal refining mechanic was unfinished).
I think it would be better if the rock granulator's only purpose was to turn minerals into sand and if the coal smelter was reintroduced and instead used to refine metals in the early game. Smelting metal ores with coal to refine them makes a lot more sense than crushing them and it would also give another use to coal. I'm going to assume that the devs might have chosen not to add the coal smelter because they don't want to have two buildings that do the exact same thing but in different ways, but I don't see how that would be much of a problem considering that we already have the wash basin and sink which do just that. Otherwise I don't really see any problem with adding the coal smelter and removing the rock granulator's ability to refine metals. The coal smelter could be balanced accordingly to give players reasons to switch to the electric smelter and it also wouldn't be a lot of work to add it, assuming that there already are animations for it. Adding the rock granulator also won't have been a waste since it still has its purpose and could potentially have more uses in the future.
As I said, I'm going to add a poll to this thread to see what people think.

[BenVo]

I think the electric smelter should be modified to coal demanding with lower energy needed. Liquid is not needed, but high temp. CO2 out put should be added. I agree that rock granulator should be only for minerals, but small amount of metal ore could come from minerals, like 25kg iron ore from 500kg igneous rock. And there shall be another input and output added for granulator which make it a node in material net work instead of an end.