Patent ID: 11946582
Assignee: KNAUF INSULATION SPRL
Field: Macromolecular chemistry, polymers (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC F  C  D  E | IPC C  D  E  F

Claim 0:
1. A method of manufacturing a stone wool insulation product comprising sequentially:
forming stone wool fibers from a molten mineral mixture;
spraying a substantially formaldehyde-free, aqueous binder solution onto the stone wool fibers just after they have been formed so that residual heat of the stone wool fibers causes water in the aqueous binder solution to evaporate;
collecting the stone wool fibers to which the binder solution has been applied to form a batt of stone wool fibers; and
curing the batt comprising the stone wool fibers and the binder by passing the batt through a curing oven so as to provide a batt of stone wool fibers held together by a cured, thermoset, substantially formaldehyde-free, substantially water insoluble, nitrogenous polymer-containing binder;, to produce a stone wool insulation product which:, i) comprises less than 99% by weight and more than 80% by weight stone wool fibers; and, ii) has a density greater than 15 kg/m3 and less than 220 kg/m3; and, iii) has a quantity of binder greater than 1% and less than 15% by dry weight;, and wherein the aqueous binder solution sprayed onto the stone wool fibers comprises (i) a carbohydrate reactant comprising a reducing sugar or a carbohydrate reactant that yields a reducing sugar in situ under thermal curing conditions and (ii) at least 5% by dry weight of an acid precursor, wherein the acid precursor comprises a) oxygen and b) at least one of sulphur, phosphorus and nitrogen.