Several methods for the preparation of polymeric microbeads for chromatographic separations in the pharmaceutical industry have been developed over the past several decades. However, those methods often result in microbeads with a wide distribution of sizes. This invention results in more uniform particle size but also microbeads that are derived from multifunctional epoxy monomers and that have residual epoxy functionality on their surfaces.

Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes have found widespread use in the food and biotechnology industries. UF has been applied in the processing of normal and transgenic milk, cheese and eggs, whey and potato protein recovery, the clarification of juices and wine, the recovery of proteins from animal blood, and the purification of water. UF is also used in the biotechnology industry for the recovery of biological products through such steps as cell broth clarification, cell harvesting, concentration or diafiltration of protein solutions prior to separation, and final concentration.