Binders and materials made therewith

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:

• providing a collection of glass fibers;
• spraying an uncured, aqueous formaldehyde-free binder solution onto the collection 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 collection of glass fibers evaporates water from the aqueous binder solution, the aqueous binder solution comprising
• a) reactants consisting of
• (i) one or more reducing sugars, a carbohydrate that yields one or more reducing sugars in situ under thermal curing conditions, or combinations thereof, wherein the percent by dry weight of the reducing sugar from reactant (i) with respect to the total weight of reactants in the binder solution ranges from about 73% to about 96%,
• (ii) at least one amine, and
• (iii) optionally one or more non-carbohydrate polyhydroxy compounds,
• b) one or more additives, and
• c) water;
• transferring the binder coated collection of glass fibers to and through a curing oven;
• heating the binder coated collection of glass fibers in the curing oven and curing the binder disposed on the glass fibers so as to produce the thermal or acoustical fiberglass insulation product, wherein i) heated air is passed through the collection of glass fibers to cure the binder in contact with the glass fibers, ii) the cured binder is a formaldehyde-free, water resistant, thermoset binder comprising nitrogen-containing polymers that attach the glass fibers together, iii) flights above and below the collection of glass fibers slightly compress the collection of glass fibers to give the fiberglass insulation product a predetermined thickness and surface finish, and iv) 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.