Unknown matter claimer - Revision history

Apm: Category:Far term target

2026-03-29T19:08:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:08, 29 March 2026
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	* [[Automated decibot swarm mining and tunneling]]		* [[Automated decibot swarm mining and tunneling]]

			[[Category:Far term target]]

Apm: /* Related / added Automated decibot swarm mining and tunneling

2026-02-22T07:59:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:59, 22 February 2026
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	* [[Rock digestion chamber]]		* [[Rock digestion chamber]]
	* [[Soil processing]]		* [[Soil processing]]
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			* [[Automated decibot swarm mining and tunneling]]

Apm: /* Related / added Gem-gum waste dissolution

2024-02-15T11:37:00Z

Related: added * Gem-gum waste dissolution

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:37, 15 February 2024
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	* [[Mining]]		* [[Mining]]
	* [[Diamondoid waste incineration]]		* [[Diamondoid waste incineration]]
			* [[Gem-gum waste dissolution]]
	* [[Recycling]]		* [[Recycling]]
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	* [[Rock digestion chamber]]		* [[Rock digestion chamber]]
	* [[Soil processing]]		* [[Soil processing]]

Apm: /* Related / added Rock digestion chamber * Soil processing

2024-02-15T11:26:39Z

Related: added * Rock digestion chamber * Soil processing

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:26, 15 February 2024
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	* [[Diamondoid waste incineration]]		* [[Diamondoid waste incineration]]
	* [[Recycling]]		* [[Recycling]]
			----
			* [[Rock digestion chamber]]
			* [[Soil processing]]

Apm: added notes on: bio-analogies and recycling

2017-09-16T05:03:59Z

added notes on: bio-analogies and recycling

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:03, 16 September 2017
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	At the cost of performance it may be possible to create specialized devices that are more radiation resistant but at some point the only option		At the cost of performance it may be possible to create specialized devices that are more radiation resistant but at some point the only option
	left is to gain distance and wait. Fortunately extremely high radiation levels quickly decay.		left is to gain distance and wait. Fortunately extremely high radiation levels quickly decay.

			== Misc notes ==

			The terms "all eating" or "omnivorous" fall under the class of [[detrimental bio-analogy\|detrimental bio-analogies]] thus they should be avoided.

			If only applied to waste this could be called "unknown matter reclaimer" or "allrecycler".

	== Related ==		== Related ==

Apm: pretty good initial version

2017-09-16T04:55:40Z

pretty good initial version

New page

{{template:Site specific term}}
{{speculative}}

An "unknown matter reclaimer" would be capable of receiving any kind of matter
(out of atoms) and near perfectly sort & separate the atoms according to their atomic number (their element).
Afterwards some of the the elements would be reacted to common elements (like oxygen and hydrogen)
to yield better soluble and less troublesome compounds that serve as resource molecules for advanced [[Nanofactory|gem-gum factories]].
(See: [[standardized element carrying compounds]]). For maximal safety the product compounds could be stored in micro-capsules which in turn could be stored (in solid state [[machine phase]]) in macro-capsules.

Since [[atomically precise disassembly]] of completely unknown matter seems extremely difficult (if not impossible)
more conventional treatment methods are likely to be applied.
These treatment methods can still be managed by advanced gemstone based systems (just as in [[synthesis of food]]).
While chemical treatment can be done in microscale chambers, aggressive thermal treatment may need macroscopic chambers (due to scaling of heat conduction). Mechanical breakup of big chunks/lumps/whatnot can also be an issue.

== Some of many difficulties ==

Problematic properties of source material could be:
* extremely hard materials (e.g. corundum splinters)
* sticky & gooey materials (today these usually can be burned with few exceptions - this may change)
* chemically highly aggressive materials (rarely encountered in waste heaps)
* ...

== Claiming unknown matter requires big and complex systems – not doable by autonomous "nanobots" ==

There is no golden bullet of how to proceed to succeed.
Ideally one would want one single general process where no matter what the input is one always gets the desired split-up output with zero remnants of the original material. This may eventually be reached in very advanced dystems (far beyond the far term goal of [[Nanofactory|gem-gum factories]]) but it may even involve optical and other analysis and interpretation by an AI system.

"Unknown matter reclaimers", if ever built, will execute a pretty complex process and they will fundamentally be big macroscopic devices.
Thus fully omnivorous "nanobots" like known from the most extreme form of the [[grey goo horror fable]] are pretty much an impossibility.

== Radioactive isotopes and elements ==

"Unknown matter reclaimers" could possibly be combined with [[isotope separation]].
material so highly radioactive that it would destroy the nano-machinery (by metamictisation) of course cannot be treated.
At the cost of performance it may be possible to create specialized devices that are more radiation resistant but at some point the only option
left is to gain distance and wait. Fortunately extremely high radiation levels quickly decay.

== Related ==

* [[Mining]]
* [[Diamondoid waste incineration]]
* [[Recycling]]