Formaldehyde-free smoke reduction agents for binders

A method of reducing volatile organic compound emission during curing of a binder composition, the method comprising:

• forming an aqueous dispersion of fibers;
• applying the binder composition to the aqueous dispersion of fibers to form a binder-fiber mixture;
• and
• curing the binder-fiber mixture to form a fiber-containing composite, wherein:
• the binder composition comprises a carbohydrate, a nitrogen-containing compound, and a first urea compound,
• the nitrogen-containing compound is not the first urea compound,
• the first urea compound is not the reaction product of a substituted or unsubstituted urea with a glyoxal, and
• the nitrogen-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of an amino-amic acid, an inorganic salt of a diamine or a polyamine, an ammonium salt of a carboxylic acid, or a reaction product of a second urea compound with a glyoxal.

A fiber-containing composite comprising:

• glass fibers;
• a binder, wherein:
• the binder comprises cured products from a binder composition comprising a carbohydrate, a first urea compound, and a nitrogen-containing compound that is not the first urea compound;
• a reaction product of the first urea compound and an aldehyde or a ketone from a degradation product of the carbohydrate,
• the first urea compound is not the reaction product of a substituted or unsubstituted urea with a glyoxal, and
• the nitrogen-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of an amino-amic acid, an inorganic salt of a diamine or a polyamine, an ammonium salt of a carboxylic acid, or a reaction product of a second urea compound with a glyoxal.