Your Mining Patches Are Not the Only Source
Ore runs out. Asteroids get depleted. But organic matter? It grows back. If you have access to a planet with vegetation or biological material, biomass processing gives you a renewable resource chain that never depletes.
Most players ignore biomass because it is slower than mining. They are wrong. A well-tuned biomass loop provides steady backup resources when your main patches run dry, and it produces materials (Carbon, Plastic, Biofuel) that are hard to make from pure ore.
The Short Version
Build an Organic Harvester on a vegetated planet surface. Feed biomass into a Bioreactor -> Biofuel Refinery -> Plastic Press chain. Output: Biofuel (burns in generators), Plastic (used in Electronics), Carbon Composite (advanced building material). One harvester supports 2 generators indefinitely.
v1.1: The Bio-extractor can now be upgraded to Mk2 and Mk3. Each tier raises organic throughput significantly (Mk2 roughly doubles output versus the Mk1 baseline; Mk3 pushes it higher again). Your entire biomass production chain — Bioreactor, Biofuel Refinery, Plastic Press — scales with the Bio-extractor’s output, so upgrading the extractor is the single highest-leverage upgrade in the loop.
v1.1 Bio-Extractor Tiers
Outworld Station v1.1 adds Mk2 and Mk3 tiers to the Bio-extractor (one of the nine production buildings now upgradeable). If you run a Bio-extractor instead of (or alongside) an Organic Harvester, the tier you build directly sets the ceiling for your whole organic chain.
Bio-Extractor Throughput by Tier
| Tier | Organic Throughput (direction) | vs Mk1 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mk1 | Baseline | 1x | Starting tier |
| Mk2 | ~2x baseline | 2x | Roughly doubles organic intake |
| Mk3 | Higher again | >2x | Best-in-class; scales the chain further |
Because the Bioreactor, Biofuel Refinery, and Plastic Press all consume whatever the extractor feeds them, upgrading to Mk2/Mk3 lifts the entire output of Biofuel, Plastic, and Carbon Composite proportionally. If you are hitting a ceiling on renewable fuel or Plastic, upgrade the Bio-extractor before adding more downstream machines.
Where this fits: The Bio-extractor is part of the broader Mk2/Mk3 Factory system. See Mk2/Mk3 Factory Guide for the full tier list and cost tradeoffs.
The Biomass Production Chain[+]
Full Chain
Organic Harvester -> Biomass (60/min)
-> Bioreactor -> Raw Biofuel (20/min)
-> Biofuel Refinery -> Refined Biofuel (15/min) [or -> Plastic Press -> Plastic (8/min)]
Component Details:
| Building | Input | Output | Power Draw | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Harvester | Power | 60 Biomass/min | 30 kW | Place on green terrain only |
| Bioreactor | 60 Biomass/min | 20 Raw Biofuel/min | 50 kW | Needs water (pipe input) |
| Biofuel Refinery | 20 Raw Biofuel/min | 15 Biofuel/min | 40 kW | Can also produce Carbon Powder |
| Plastic Press | 10 Raw Biofuel/min | 8 Plastic/min | 35 kW | Plastic needed for Electronics |
| Composter | 30 Biomass/min | 15 Fertilizer/min | 20 kW | Fertilizer boosts harvester output |
Biomass vs. Mining - When to Switch[+]
Comparison
| Resource | Mining Rate | Biomass Rate | Renewable? | Setup Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | 120/min (drill) | N/A | No | Low |
| Copper | 100/min (drill) | N/A | No | Low |
| Fuel (burnable) | 46 H2/min (cloud) | 15 Biofuel/min | Yes (bio) | Medium |
| Plastic | 0 (must craft) | 8/min | Yes | Medium-High |
| Carbon | 0 (rare ore) | 10/min (refinery byproduct) | Yes | Medium |
When to Build Biomass:
- You have a vegetated planet within freighter range
- Your coal/carbon deposits are depleted or very far
- You need steady Plastic for Electronics without expanding mining
- You want a renewable backup fuel source
When NOT to Build Biomass:
- You are still in the first 2 hours (ores are plentiful)
- Your nearby asteroids still have 2000+ Iron
- You have no freighter route to a vegetated planet
The Fertilizer Loop[+]
Renewable with Bonus
The Composter turns 30 Biomass/min into 15 Fertilizer/min. Feed Fertilizer back into the Organic Harvester to boost its output by 50% (90 Biomass/min instead of 60/min).
Loop Efficiency:
Harvester (60/min) -> 30/min to Composter -> 15 Fertilizer/min -> back to Harvester
-> 30/min to Bioreactor
Result: Harvester boosted to 90/min
Available for Bioreactor: 90 - 30 (composter) = 60/min
Net gain: 100% more biomass available for fuel production
This loop has a 15-minute startup investment (waiting for the first Fertilizer to complete) but pays off quickly.
Setting Up Your First Biomass Outpost
- Scout a vegetated planet (green/brown terrain, visible flora)
- Land and place 1 Organic Harvester on the greenest patch
- Connect power (solar panel works if the planet has sunlight)
- Build Bioreactor -> Biofuel Refinery chain
- Route Biofuel into a generator for self-powered operation
- Route Plastic back to your main station via freighter