Method for manufacturing insulation products based on mineral wool using a solid thermosetting binder

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing insulation products based on mineral wool bound by an organic binder, comprising the following successive steps: (a) providing a mineral wool, (b) humidifying the mineral wool, (c) placing the humidified mineral wool fibers in contact with particles of binder comprising a mixture of thermosetting reagents, (d) shaping the mixture of mineral wool and binder particles, and (e) heating the shaped mixture to a temperature and for a period sufficient to allow the condensation of the reagents and the formation of an insulation product based on mineral wool bound by an insoluble and infusible organic binder.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an insulation product comprising mineral wool bound by an organic binder, comprising the following successive steps: (a) humidifying a mineral wool to provide a humidified mineral wool that comprises from 0.2 to 1.5% by weight of water; (b) placing the humidified mineral wool that comprises from 0.2 to 1.5% by weight of water in contact with particles of binder comprising a mixture of thermosetting reagents to provide a mixture of mineral wool and binder particles; (c) shaping the mixture of mineral wool and binder particles to provide a shaped mixture; and (d) heating the shaped mixture to a temperature and for a period sufficient to allow condensation of the reagents and the formation of the insulation product comprising mineral wool bound by the organic binder.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral wool is virgin mineral wool, a recycled mineral wool, or a blend of virgin mineral wool and recycled mineral wool.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the insulation product obtained in step (d) has a density comprised between 4 and 70 kg/m.sup.3.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the insulation product obtained in step (d) has a binder content, determined by loss on ignition, comprised between 3 and 9.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, before step (a): opening the fibers.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the opening of the fibers is performed by carding or by passing mineral wool through a turbulence chamber.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying of the mineral wool is carried out by exposing the mineral wool to water vapor or to an aerosol of water.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the humidified mineral wool comprises, when it is brought into contact with the binder particles, from 0.4 to 1.0% by weight of water.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bringing of the humidified mineral fibers into contact with binder particles is carried out using a pneumatic mixer.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the pneumatic mixer employs a stream of compressed air passing through a turbulence chamber.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the binder particles comprise at least 50% by weight of bio-based reagents.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the bio-based reagents are at least one selected from the group consisting of saccharides, saccharide hydrogenation products, and bio-based polycarboxylic acids.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the bio-based reagents comprise: at least one sugar and/or hydrogenated sugar; and citric acid.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the bio-based reagents comprise at least 70% by weight of hydrogenated sugars and citric acid.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shaping of the mineral wool is carried out by molding and/or compressing the mineral wool.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of step (d) is comprised between 130 C. and 240 C.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method does not include a step aimed at reinforcing a mechanical bond between the mineral fibers by entangling the mineral fibers.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the insulation product obtained in step (d) has a density comprised between 5 and 60 kg/m.sup.3.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the insulation product obtained in step (d) has a binder content, determined by loss on ignition, comprised between 4 and 8%.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the humidified mineral wool comprises, when it is brought into contact with the binder particles, from 0.3 to 1.2% by weight of water.

Description

EXAMPLE

(1) A powder containing 45.7% by weight of maltitol, 49.5% of citric acid and 4.76% of sodium hypophosphite is prepared by spray-drying an aqueous solution. The resulting binder powder is non-cloying and free-flowing.

(2) Flakes of glass fibers recovered from the shaping stage of a production method for blowing mineral wool are subjected to an opening (disentangling) stage for 5 minutes in a pneumatic turbulence chamber at the laboratory scale.

(3) The humidification of the mineral wool thus disentangled is carried out by injecting hot water vapor (100 C.) by means of a steam cleaner (Hoover SCD 1600) into the turbulence chamber used for the disentangling. At the laboratory scale, the inventors used a plastic water bucket with a hole on the side (steam injection orifice) and closed by a screen.

(4) It is checked by weighing, before and after humidifying, that the quantity of water fixed on the mineral fibers is comprised between 0.2 and 1.5%.

(5) Then 80 g of humidified mineral fibers are added to 4 g of the binder powder, followed by mixing for 5 minutes in a turbulence chamber operating with dry compressed air at room temperature.

(6) Slightly humid mineral wool fibers having particles of binder powder on their surface are thus obtained. Verification by optical microscopy (Keyence VHZ 2000) shows that the binder particles are visible. They are not dissolved in the water film.

(7) The mineral wool is then introduced into a metal-screen box and slightly compressed. The whole is baked for 15 minutes in a hot air oven temperature-controlled at 215 C.

(8) The mineral wool insulation product has a density of 28 kg/m.sup.3, a binder content (loss on ignition) of 5.4%. It has an equal compressive strength of 3.70.72 kPa (at 10% strain).