Revival of BioTech: sand ore and sand drills, three bioreactor tiers, photosynthesis panels, a fuel cell, and science made from biomass. Requires Bio Industries.
I remember on the original mod Bio tech, the first miner could get sand from placing it on the ground. No "ore sand" necessary. But your miner dont accept being put on the ground. So it cant start building the things of the mod.
True, there should be sand ore now. The original mod acted like a assembly machine instead of a miner. I add ore to bring back the mines functions. It even says it in the description section, that or you can do the research and unlock the technology. But there is sand ore, if you're adding this to a already functioning/ongoing game you'll to venture out to find that sand ore.