The amount of acid needed to make a chemistry station should be reduced.

[Tephra]

Well, if it comes down to it, then not just acid, but nitric acid. You can also add a little sulfuric acid to bind excess water.

There is only one kind of acid in this game, breaking it down into various other types of acid is pointless.

And cotton fibers (or rather the dust remaining during cotton processing) are used only because they are easily accessible.

That is incorrect. Cotton is not only used because it is readily available, it is also a very pure form of cellulose. Sawdust or other plant sources would need to be purified to remove undesirable ingredients like lignin or hemicellulose.