Reducing formaldehyde emissions from fiberglass insulation

Abstract

A process for making a fibrous product using a binder based on a formaldehyde-containing resin and especially for making fiberglass insulation products, and to the fibrous products themselves, wherein the fibrous product has a backing sheet affixed thereto and the backing sheet is coated or impregnated with a formaldehyde scavenger composition, with the result that the fibrous products exhibit a reduced level of formaldehyde emission.

1 . A process of producing a fibrous mat wherein the fibrous mat comprises a cured formaldehyde-containing resin binder and the fibrous mat has a backing sheet, the process comprising applying a formaldehyde-scavenger composition onto the backing sheet so that the formaldehyde-scavenger composition is in a mass transfer relationship to the fibrous mat. 
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition is applied to the backing sheet as a liquid. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 2  wherein the liquid is an aqueous mixture of a formaldehyde-scavenger. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein a neat form of the formaldehyde scavenger is applied to the backing sheet. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises solid particles of a formaldehyde scavenger. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is loaded onto solid particles of an inert carrier. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises a formaldehyde scavenger selected from the group consisting of urea, low mole ratio melamine resins, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium sulfamate, ammonium sulfamate, an acid aniline salt, ammonium bisulfite, ammonium sulfite, methane sulfonamide, succinimide, resorcinol, polyacrylamide, acrylamide, methacrylamide, melamine, diethylene triamine and its salts, triethylene tetraamine and its salts, tetraethylene pentamine and its salts, biuret, triuret, biurea, polyurea, aromatic amines, aliphatic amines, ammonia, polyamidoamines, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, polyethyleneamines, polyamines, dicyandiamide, a sodium salt of taurine, sulfanilic acid, sulfur compounds with valence state other than +6, ammonium sulfite, disodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid, a protein, an aromatic amino acid, an aminopolysaccharide, p-amino benzoic acid, thiourea, guanadine, zeolites and permanganate. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is selected from the group consisting of tetraethylene pentamine, sodium bisulfite, and sodium metabisulfite. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is sodium bisulfite. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises between 0.1 and 200% by weight of the backing sheet. 
     
     
         11 . A fibrous mat produced by the process of  claim 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9  or  10 . 
     
     
         12 . A fibrous mat having fibers bonded to one another with a binder comprising a cured formaldehyde-containing resin and having a backing sheet adjacent the fibrous mat, wherein the backing sheet carries a formaldehyde scavenger composition in a mass transfer relationship to the fibrous mat and in an amount sufficient to reduce formaldehyde emissions from the fibrous mat. 
     
     
         13 . The fibrous mat of  claim 11  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises a formaldehyde scavenger selected from the group consisting of urea, low mole ratio melamine resins, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium sulfamate, ammonium sulfamate, an acid aniline salt, ammonium bisulfite, ammonium sulfite, methane sulfonamide, succinimide, resorcinol, polyacrylamide, acrylamide, methacrylamide, melamine, diethylene triamine and its salts, triethylene tetraamine and its salts, tetraethylene pentamine and its salts, biuret, triuret, biurea, polyurea, aromatic amines, aliphatic amines, ammonia, polyamidoamines, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, polyethyleneamines, polyamines, dicyandiamide, a sodium salt of taurine, sulfanilic acid, sulfur compounds with valence state other than +6, ammonium sulfite, disodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid, a protein, an aromatic amino acid, an aminopolysaccharide, p-amino benzoic acid, thiourea, guanidine, zeolites and permanganate. 
     
     
         14 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is selected from the group consisting of tetraethylene pentamine, sodium bisulfite, and sodium metabisulfite. 
     
     
         15 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is sodium bisulfite. 
     
     
         16 . The fibrous mat of  claim 15  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition is present as solid particles. 
     
     
         17 . The fibrous mat of  claim 16  wherein the solid particles comprise the formaldehyde scavenger composition loaded onto an inter carrier. 
     
     
         18 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises between 0.1 and 200% by weight of the backing sheet. 
     
     
         19 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the backing sheet comprises a sheet of paper. 
     
     
         20 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the backing sheet comprises a film of plastic. 
     
     
         21 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the backing sheet comprises a metal foil. 
     
     
         22 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the backing sheet comprises a glass mat. 
     
     
         23 . The fibrous mat of  claim 12  wherein the backing sheet comprises a fabric. 
     
     
         24 . A backing sheet for a fiberglass insulation product comprising a substrate in sheet form carrying a formaldehyde scavenger composition. 
     
     
         25 . The backing sheet of  claim 24  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises a formaldehyde scavenger selected from the group consisting of urea, low mole ratio melamine resins, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium sulfamate, ammonium sulfamate, an acid aniline salt, ammonium bisulfite, ammonium bisufite, methane sulfonamide, succinimide, resorcinol, polyacrylamide, acrylamide, methacrylamide, melamine, diethylene triamine and its salts, triethylene tetraamine and its salts, tetraethylene pentamine and its salts, biuret, triuret, biurea, polyurea, aromatic amines, aliphatic amines, ammonia, polyamidoamines, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, polyethyleneamines, polyamines, dicyandiamide, a sodium salt of taurine, sulfanilic acid, sulfur compounds with valence state other than +6, ammonium sulfite, disodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid, a protein, an aromatic amino acid, an aminopolysaccharide, p-amino benzoic acid, thiourea, guanadine, zeolites and permanganate. 
     
     
         26 . The backing sheet of  claim 25  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is selected from the group consisting of tetraethylene pentamine, sodium bisulfite, and sodium metabisulfite. 
     
     
         27 . The backing sheet of  claim 25  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is sodium bisulfite. 
     
     
         28 . The backing sheet of  claim 24  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises between 0.1 and 200% by weight of the backing sheet. 
     
     
         29 . The backing sheet of  claim 24  wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a sheet of paper, a glass mat, a fabric, a film of plastic, a metal foil and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         30 . A process of reducing the level of formaldehyde emission from a fibrous mat in which the fibrous mat comprises a cured formaldehyde-containing resin binder, the process comprising isolating the fibrous mat with a formaldehyde-scavenger such that the formaldehyde-scavenger is in a mass transfer relationship with the fibrous mat. 
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 30  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger is provided as a formaldehyde scavenger composition carried by a substrate. 
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 31  wherein the formaldehyde scavenger composition comprises a formaldehyde scavenger selected from the group consisting of tetraethylene pentamine, sodium bisulfite, and sodium metabisulfite. 
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 31  wherein the substrate carrying the formaldehyde scavenger composition is selected from the group consisting of a paper saturated with a formaldehyde scavenger composition, a vial containing a formaldehyde scavenging composition, a porous packet containing a formaldehyde scavenging composition, a plastic film coated with a formaldehyde scavenging composition and a metal foil coated with a formaldehyde scavenging composition. 
     
     
         34 . The process of  claims 30  wherein the fibrous mat is isolated by encasing the fibrous mat in a substantially airtight package.