Binder composition for mineral wool

1. An aqueous sizing composition for mineral wool-based insulating products, the composition comprising:

(a) at least one carbohydrate selected from the group consisting of hydrogenated sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and mixtures thereof;

(b) at least one polycarboxylic acid or a salt or anhydride thereon; and

(c) from 1% to 25% by weight, relative to the sum of the components (a) and (b), of at least one aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic monoalcohol free of acid or base functions and having an octanol/water partition coefficient Lop Kow of between 1 and 3,

wherein the aliphatic monoalcohol is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1-pentanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol 2,2-dimethyl-1-propanol, 2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, 3-methyl-2-butanol, 2-methyl-2-butanol, 2-ethyl-2-propanol, 1-hexanol, 2-hexanol, 3-hexanol, 3,3-dimethyl-2-butanol, 1-heptanol, 2-heptanol, 3-heptanol, 4-heptanol, 1-octanol, 2-octanol, and 4-octanol.

2. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the monoalcohol (c) is between 1.5% and 10% by weight relative to the sum of components (a) and (b).

3. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the octanol/water partition coefficient of the monoalcohol is between 1.05 and 2.0.

4. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monoalcohol is at least one selected from the group consisting of aliphatic and cycloaliphatic monoalcohols.

5. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monoalcohol comprises at least one aromatic ring.

6. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monoalcohol is 2-phenoxyethanol.

7. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polycarboxylic acid is a polycarboxylic acid monomer.

8. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polycarboxylic acid is citric acid.

9. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the proportion of hydrogenated sugars in the carbohydrate is between 25% and 100% by weight.

10. The composition as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the carbohydrate contains at least 50% by weight of hydrogenated sugars.

11. The composition as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the hydrogenated sugar is at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogenation products of monosaccharides, hydrogenation products of disaccharides, hydrogenation products of oligosaccharides, hydrogenation products of polysaccharides, and mixtures thereof.

12. The composition as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the hydrogenated sugar is a product of hydrogenation of a starch hydrolyzate.

13. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the component (a) and the component (b) each represent independently from 30 to 70% by weight of solids of the sizing composition.

14. A process for manufacturing an insulating product based on mineral wool, the process comprising

applying an aqueous sizing composition as claimed in claim 1 to mineral wool fibers,

evaporating a solvent phase of the aqueous sizing composition, and

thermal hardening a non-volatile residue of the composition.

15. A sound-insulating and/or heat-insulating product obtained via the process as claimed in claim 14 .

16. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition does not contain formaldehyde.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein thermal hardening the non-volatile residue of the composition comprises reacting the at least one monoalcohol (c) with the at least one carbohydrate (a) and the at least one polycarboxylic acid or a salt or anhydride thereof (b), thereby reducing a hydrophilic and/or hygroscopic nature of the insulating product.

18. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monoalcohol is at least one aliphatic monoalcohol selected from the group consisting of 1-pentanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2,2-dimethyl-1-propanol, 3-pentanol, 3-methyl-2-butanol, 2-methvl-2-butanol, 2-ethyl-2-propanol, 1-hexanol, 2-hexanol, 3-hexanol, 3,3-dimethyl-2-butanol, 1-heptanol, 2-heptanol, 3-heptanol, 4-heptanol, 1-octanol, 2-octanol, and 4-octanol.

19. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monoalcohol is at least one aromatic monoalcohol selected from the group consisting of phenol, benzyl alcohol, 2-methylphenol, 3-methylphenol, 4-methylphenol, 3-methylbenzyl alcohol, 4-methylbenzyl alcohol, 2-ethylphenol, 3-ethylphenol, 4-ethylphenol, 1-phenylethanol, 2-phenylethanol, 2,4-dimethylphenol, 2,5-dimethylphenol, 2,6-dimethylphenol, 3,4-dimethylphenol, 3,5-dimethylphenol, 3-phenyl-2-propen-1-ol, 3-phenyl-1-propanol, 2-n-propylphenol, 2-isopropylphenol, 2,3,6-trimethylphenol, 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, 7-phenyl-4,6-diynhept-2-en-1-ol, diphenylmethanol, 2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,5-dichlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol, and 1-phenoxy-2-ethanol.

20. The composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monoalcohol is at least one cycloaliphatic monoalcohol selected from the group consisting of cyclohexanol, cis-2-methylcyclohexanol, trans-2-methylcyclohexanol, 4-methylcyclohexanol, and 2,6-dimethylcyclohexanol.

21. An aqueous sizing composition for mineral wool-based insulating products, the composition comprising:

(a) at least one carbohydrate selected from the group consisting of hydrogenated sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and mixtures thereof;

(b) at least one polycarboxylic acid or a salt or anhydride thereof; and

(c) from 1% to 25% by weight, relative to the sum of the components (a) and (b), of at least one aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic monoalcohol free of acid or base functions and having an octanol/water partition coefficient Log Kow of between 1.05 and 2.0.