Binders and materials made therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9464207-B2
Application number	US-201313868233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2013
Priority date	Jul 26, 2005
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

A curable aqueous composition is disclosed comprising a carbohydrate, a crosslinking agent, and an amine base, wherein the curable aqueous composition has a pH adjusted by the amine base. Further disclosed is a method of forming a curable aqueous solution.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a thermal or acoustical fiberglass insulation product, wherein the thermal or acoustical fiberglass insulation product comprises glass fibers, said glass fibers being present in the fiberglass insulation product in the range from about 80% to about 99% by weight, wherein the method comprises:
spraying an uncured aqueous binder solution onto a mat of glass fibers during production of the fiberglass insulation product such that, once the aqueous binder solution is in contact with the glass fibers, residual heat from the glass fibers and flow of air through the mat evaporates water from the aqueous binder solution, the aqueous binder solution comprising: Maillard reactants including (i) an amine reactant and (ii) a carbohydrate reactant, wherein the carbohydrate reactant is selected from one or more carbohydrate reactants having one or more reducing sugars, one or more carbohydrate reactants which yield one or more reducing sugars in situ under thermal curing conditions, and combinations thereof, wherein the percent by dry weight of the reducing sugar from the carbohydrate reactant with respect to the total weight of reactants in the aqueous binder solution ranges from about 73% to about 96%;
transferring the binder coated mat to and through a curing oven;
heating the binder coated mat in the curing oven and curing the binder so as to produce the thermal or acoustical fiberglass insulation product, wherein i) heated air is passed through the mat to cure the binder in contact with the glass fibers, ii) flights above and below the mat slightly compress the mat to give the fiberglass insulation product a predetermined thickness and surface finish, and iii) fibrous glass having a cured, rigid binder matrix emerges from the curing oven so as to produce the fiberglass insulation product in the form of a batt; and
compressing the batt for packaging and shipping to a thickness of less than about 90% of its end of line thickness,
wherein curing of the binder consists essentially of a Maillard reaction, and wherein the cured binder is a formaldehyde-free, water resistant, thermoset binder comprising nitrogen-containing polymers that attach the glass fibers of the mat together.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine reactant is selected from the group consisting of proteins, peptides, amino acids, a compound possessing a primary amino group, a compound possessing a secondary amino group, an ammonium salt of one or more monomeric polycarboxylic acids, and an ammonium salt of one or more polymeric polycarboxylic acids.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate reactant includes a monosaccharide reducing sugar.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the monosaccharide reducing sugar is selected from the group consisting of erythrose, threose, erythrulose, ribose, arabinose, lyxose, ribulose, arabulose, xylulose, lyxulose, mannose, galactose, allose, altrose, talose, gulose, psicose, sorbose, tagatose, and sedoheptulose.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the monosaccharide reducing sugar is selected from the group consisting of dextrose, xylose, fructose, and dihydroxyacetone.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the monosaccharide reducing sugar comprises dextrose.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate reactant comprises one or more carbohydrate reactants which yield one or more reducing sugars in situ under thermal curing conditions selected from the group consisting of sucrose, lactose, maltose, starch, and cellulose.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncured aqueous binder solution further comprises an organic acid.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the organic acid comprises a monomeric polycarboxylic acid.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the monomeric polycarboxylic acid comprises citric acid.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the organic acid comprises a polymeric polycarboxylic acid.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the binder further comprises a silicon-containing coupling agent.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the silicon-containing coupling agent is amino-substituted.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the silicon-containing coupling agent is a silyl ether.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the silicon-containing coupling agent includes at least one of gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, and n-propylamine silane.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the binder further comprises a corrosion inhibitor.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor is selected from at least one of the group consisting of dedusting oil, monoammonium phosphate, sodium metasilicate pentahydrate, melamine, tin(II)oxalate, and a methylhydrogen silicone fluid emulsion.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncured aqueous binder solution applied to the mat of fibers has an alkaline pH.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein binder in contact with the fibers is dehydrated and subsequently cured.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncured aqueous binder solution applied to the mat of fibers is formaldehyde free.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing of the binder generates water-insoluble melanoidins.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the binder comprises polymers and/or oligomers and wherein curing of the binder comprises chemically cross-linking the polymers and/or oligomers.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing of the binder includes concurrent, contemporaneous, or sequential production and cross-linking of melanoidins.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine reactant comprises an amine base selected from a primary amine NH 2 R 1 and a secondary amine NHR 1 R 2 , where R 1 and R 2 are each independently selected in NHR 1 R 2 , R 1 is alkyl which is substituted by at least one group selected from aminoalkyl, amide, nitrile, amino, dialkylamino, acylamino and combinations thereof, and R 2 is selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, and heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the carbohydrate reactant comprises dextrose.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the uncured aqueous binder solution further comprises an organic acid.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine reactant comprises a primary amine NH 2 R 1 , where R 1 is alkyl which is substituted by amino.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the carbohydrate reactant comprises dextrose.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the uncured aqueous binder solution further comprises an organic acid.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate reactant comprises a carbohydrate selected from the group consisting of a pentose, a pentose used in combination with other reducing sugars, xylose, xylose used in combination with other reducing sugars, a hexose, a hexose used in combination with other reducing sugars, dextrose, dextrose used in combination with other reducing sugars, fructose, fructose used in combination with other reducing sugars, sucrose, and sucrose used in combination with monosaccharides.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncured aqueous binder solution is substantially formaldehyde-free.

32. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine reac

Assignees

• Knauf Insulation Inc
• Knauf Insulation Sprl

Inventors

• Swift Brian Lee
• Kissell Ronald E

Classifications

• C03C17/28

  with organic material (C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16L59/026

  Mattresses, mats, blankets or the like · CPC title

• B29C70/68 Primary

  by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or layers {, e.g. foam blocks (mould constructions therefor B29C33/12; joining preformed parts by moulding B29C65/70)} · CPC title

• C09D167/04 Primary

  Polyesters derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids, e.g. lactones (C09D167/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E04B1/78

  Heat insulating elements {(E04B1/7662 takes precedence)} · CPC title