TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The method involves: preparing a reactant mixture comprising a carrier fluid and a monomer component containing at least one phenolic compound and optionally at least one crosslinking compound, and/or a mixture of Maillard reactants, directing the reactant mixture to a reactor comprising at least one reaction loop; polymerizing the monomer component within the reactor to form the polymer particles in gel form; and recovering the polymer particles in gel form from the reactor. The reactant mixture further comprises at least one catalyst; and the catalyst is free of any metal or metal ion. At least a portion of the inner surfaces in contact with the reactant mixture during polymerization of the monomer component has undergone at least one of: a passivation process and a pickling process. The inner surfaces comprises cobalt, chromium, tungsten, carbon, silicon, iron, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, boron, phosphorus, sulfur, titanium, aluminum, copper, tungsten, and/or their alloys. The inner surfaces comprises at least one stainless steel, at least one carbon steel, at least one tool steel, and/or at least one alloy steel. The inner surfaces in contact with the reactant mixture comprises a metal, where at least a portion of the inner surfaces in contact with the reactant mixture during polymerization of the monomer component has undergone a passivation process to produce a passivated metal surface, and the passivated metal surface is formed by a carburization process, a boronization process, and/or a nitridization process. The inner surfaces comprise glass. The inner surfaces comprise at least one fiber reinforced materials. The polymer particles in gel form contain less than 0.1 wt.% metal atoms, metal ions. The method further involves drying the polymer particles in gel form to produce dried polymer particles, where the dried polymer particles contain less than 1 (preferably less than 0.1) wt.% metal atoms, and/or metal ions. The reactor comprises at least two reaction loops. The reactor comprises at least three reaction loops. The reaction mixture is continuously introduced to the reactor and the polymer particles in gel form are continuously recovered from the reactor. The reactant mixture is prepared within the reactor by introducing the carrier fluid and the monomer component independently to the reactor at the same location; or at different locations with respect to one another. The mixture of Maillard reactants comprises at least one amine reactant and at least one reducing sugar. The particles in gel form have an average cross-sectional length of about greater than or equal to 0.1 mm. EXAMPLE - About 360 g of resorcinol, 10.8 g of ammonium acetate, 720 g of deionized water, and 253 g of acetic acid were added to a reactor and heated to 45 degrees C. After the mixture was heated to 45 degrees C, 531 g of formaldehyde was slowly added to the reactor over the course of 60 minutes to provide a reaction mixture. After adding the formaldehyde to the reactor the reaction mixture was pre-reacted until a refractive index of 1.4078 was reached. The pre-reacted mixture or pre- polymer was then cooled down to 25 degrees C and placed into collection bottles. One collection bottle of the pre-polymer was stored in a cold room at a temperature of 4-5 degrees C overnight. The next day about 1.2 liters of WESSON (RTM: vegetable oil) and were added to a reactor. The vegetable oil was stirred via the mechanical agitator and heated to 80 degrees C. About 205 ml of the pre-polymer was slowly added to the heated vegetable oil such that the temperature of the vegetable oil/pre-polymer mixture maintained a temperature above 75 degrees C. The temperature was controlled. After adding the pre-polymer the contents of the reactor were stirred for about 1 hour at 80-85 degrees C. After about 20 minutes of stirring, the stir dial was adjusted to a 3.3 setting. After about 1 hour of stirring, the contents of the reactor (vegetable oil/polymer particulates) were cooled and transferred into bottles and placed in an oven heated to 85 degrees C. The vegetable oil/polymer particulate mixture was heated in the oven and cured. After about 12 hours the glass jars were removed from the oven and a polymer particle product in gel form was collected. The polymer particles in gel form had a cross-sectional length of 1 mm.