Equipment and base systems
Fuel a Bioreactor Without Emptying Your Food Locker
A Bioreactor converts organic material into base energy. Its useful output depends on having fuel ready, so choose a replenishable input near your route and keep survival food separate from the stock reserved for power.
Updated · Crafting quantities: PC build 128456
Recipes and construction costs
The reactor and the fuel are separate crafts. Each displayed fuel recipe is an alternative input route, not a requirement to collect all three materials for a single block. Copper Ingots use three Copper each, so reserve six raw Copper for the reactor’s two ingots.
Choose a fuel supply you can replace
Fibrous Pulp is the practical option when harvesting plants already forms part of your route. Five pulp are consumed by one Biofuel Block recipe, so budget fuel separately from Fiber and other plant-based crafts. A pile collected for equipment upgrades can disappear quickly when it also supplies the reactor.
The Processor offers alternative Biofuel Block recipes using Pents or Crab Feces. Choose the route supported by the resources you actually have nearby. The recipes do not establish a universal best fuel: travel, storage and competing uses all affect which input is convenient.
Algae Blocks and Nutrient Blocks are also supported reactor fuel after the Buddy System fix. Keep the food you need for a journey out of the power stockpile. Burning emergency rations to solve an avoidable shortfall can leave the next trip underprepared.
Set up a repeatable production loop
Unlock and build the Bioreactor in the base, then prepare fuel at the Processor. Start with a small batch and inspect the reactor controls and base energy display after loading it. Confirm that the operating reactor contributes energy before scaling up the supply.
Store raw inputs and finished fuel separately. This makes it easier to see whether the next shortage is a gathering task or simply a processing task. Leave room for incoming organic material so the return haul does not displace the food and medical supplies needed for exploration.
- Reserve the reactor construction ingredients and complete its blueprint.
- Choose one Biofuel Block recipe supported by your current supplies.
- Process a batch, load the reactor and turn it on.
- Check the base energy display under your usual appliance load.
- Keep a replacement batch ready and replenish the chosen input on routine trips.
If the base loses power
Check whether the reactor is on and has accepted fuel. Then compare its contribution with the active equipment. A fueled reactor can still sit on a base whose demand exceeds generation; adding fuel capacity is different from reducing that deficit.
Buddy System fixed fuel being consumed immediately even when the Bioreactor was set to Off. That old behavior should not be treated as the normal cost of storing fuel in a stopped reactor. The same update fixed Algae Blocks and Nutrient Blocks being rejected.
Combine a reactor with other generation or storage when it suits the location. Storage gives time to refill or recover from a peak demand, while a second generation method reduces dependence on one fuel loop. Use actual energy readings to decide which addition the base needs.