Toxifier generator

The toxifier generator is a power generator added by the Biotech DLC.

Acquisition

Toxifier generators can be constructed once the toxifier generator research project has been completed. Each requires 125 Steel, 3 Components, 8,000 ticks (2.22 mins) of work modified by the construction speed of the builder, and a construction skill of 4.

Once constructed, they cannot be re-installed, they can only be deconstructed.

Summary

Working radius of the toxifier. White tiles mark the pollution area. Once all of these tiles are polluted, power generation will be halted.

Each generator produces 1400W and pollutes 6 tiles every 3 days, for an average of 2 tiles a day. The pollution can spread, up to a 27-tile radius from the bottom-left tile. This is an area of 2253 tiles^[Verify]. Once all cells in range are polluted, the generator ceases to work until there are unpolluted tiles again. Pollution can spread through constructed walls but not natural ones. This means that generator beginning on clear ground will cease working in 18.775 years.

Unlike wood-fired and chemfuel powered generators, toxifier generators do not produce heat or light, and cannot be toggled off.

Analysis

Toxifier generators don't actually create too much pollution. A pollution pump can convert the output of 2 generators into wastepacks, which are easy to freeze and store.

A toxifier generator creates the equivalent of 1 wastepack every 3 days. With a pump, this is equal to 20 wastepacks, or 4 full stacks, per year. A year's worth of waste from 2 generators, 8 full stacks, can easily be frozen or otherwise managed. An 8x8 room has space for 64 tiles, or 8 years of running 2 generators, and can be frozen with a single cooler year-round in a temperate biome. The net power of this setup, 2400 W, can be enough to power an entire early- to mid- game colony.

The pollution can be annoying in the long term, especially with mechanoids. However, "free" and invariable power saves quite a bit of labor compared to wood-fired generators. Colonists can manually pick up pollution, though it is quite slow, and non-resistant colonists will accumulate toxic buildup.

Clean energy

The toxifier generator's key drawback is its pollution, however, with sufficient infrastructure it can provide net positive power without polluting the map.

Each generator produces an average of 2 tiles of pollution per day. A pollution pump cleans 4 tiles of pollution per day, where 6 tiles = 1 toxic wastepack. The wastepack atomizer destroys 2 wastepacks a day, or 12 pollution tiles per day. Pumps consume -200 W of power each, and atomizers consume -400 W. Therefore, a ratio of 6 toxifier generators : 3 pollution pumps : 1 atomizer is fully clean and has a net power of 7400 W.

Gallery

Toxifier polluting nearby tiles. Note the purple clouds over newly-polluted tiles.
Alternative visualization of radius with forest for scale. Green carpets are inside of the pollution zone, red carpets are outside.

Version history

Biotech DLC Release - Added.

Architect

Power: Power conduit (Hidden, Waterproof) • Power switch • Wood-fired generator • Chemfuel powered generator • Wind turbine
(research): Battery • Geothermal generator • Solar generator • Watermill generator • Toxifier generator • Bioferrite generator
(uncraftable): Vanometric power cell • Unstable power cell
Related: Ship reactor • Electroharvester