[Stoves] why does coffee husk biochar smell like urine?

[Paul Olivier]

Christa,

Do you have any idea why coffee husk biochar smells like urine?

I just read that coffee husks contain 36% to 38% K2O.
This supposedly accounts for the low melting point of its ash.
That its ash has a low melting point makes sense to me,
since, if I leave the fan on a bit too long after the gasification cycle is
finished,
I see a stony yellowish/white ash at the bottom of the reactor.

How is this possible that coffee husks could have so much K2O?
What happens to the K2O when it is subjected to heat?
I see that K2O has a melting point > 350C.
If subjected to heat does it turn into K2O2 or even KO2?
At what point does it turn into a gas?

Does the presence of K2O account for its urine smell?
What does this urine smell mean with regard to the value of coffee husk
biochar?
Would coffee husk biochar be rich in potassium?

Paul
-- 
Paul A. Olivier
27C Pham Hong Thai Street
Dalat
Vietnam

Louisiana telephone: 1-337-447-4124 (rings Vietnam)
Mobile: 090-694-1573 (in Vietnam)
Skype address: Xpolivier
http://www.esrla.com/
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