TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The reaction is carried out in the presence of a transesterification catalyst on a continuous basis and at a temperature (preferably 20 - 30) above the boiling point of the alcohol or at around or slightly above atmospheric pressure. The atomized feed is prepared by passing the vegetable oil and/or meat fat through an atomizer on entry to the reaction vessel. The vegetable oil and/or meat fat are heated prior to atomization. An atomized feed is reacted with gaseous alcohol in stoichiometric excess above 3:1 to triglyceride of the atomized feed. The method involves mixing the liquid alcohol with the transesterification catalyst prior to reaction with the atomized feed and heating the mixture to vaporize the alcohol and/or catalyst (and any reaction product formed between the alcohol and the catalyst) prior to reaction with the atomized feed. The method involves recirculating the gaseous alcohol from the reaction vessel, through a condensing step, to an alcohol mixing vessel for mixing with the transesterification catalyst and entry of the atomized feed and gaseous alcohol or alcohol-catalyst mixture into the reaction vessel through separate inlets in a counter current direction with respect to each other or through through via a coaxial flow inlet. The vegetable oil and/or meat fat are subjected pre-atomization purification step (preferably a pre-atomization acid catalyzed transesterification process or a pre-atomization alkali refining process). The method involves reacting an alcohol of formula CnH2n+1OH (preferably methanol, especially high grade methanol) with the atomized feed. The atomized feed is prepared from high grade vegetable oil and/or meat fat. The method also involves purifying at least one of the feed, alcohol and catalyst streams to remove water and/or other impurities detrimental to the reaction. The method involves reacting the atomized feed of vegetable oil and/or meat fat with vaporized sodium methoxide at a temperature of greater than 80degreesC. The vaporized sodium methoxide is prepared by mixing and then vaporization of methanol with sodium hydroxide in a mixing chamber prior to entry into the reaction vessel. The feed has a high enough surface area. The method involves increasing the surface area of the feed from that of a liquid phase feed by passing the vegetable oil and/or meat fat through an atomizer prior to reaction with the gaseous alcohol. The alkyl ester is mixed in proportion with 5 - 20% of petroleum diesel.n=1 - 5.Preferred Components: The transesterification catalyst is H2SO4, HCl, NaOH and KOH and corresponding sodium and potassium alkoxides (preferably sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium propoxide or sodium butoxide). The atomized feed contains high grade vegetable oil and/or high grade meat fat containing triglycerides. The reaction vessel is a tubular reactor. SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - Preparation of methyl ester is specifically disclosed as the alkyl ester.    EXAMPLE - An input feed used was high grade Soya bean oil and beef tallow. Initially the feed oil or fat was heated to temperatures of greater than or equal to100 - 130degreesC in a stainless steel vessel with external heating supply. The feed oil/fat was then pumped to the reaction tank where it was atomized. The flow rate of this stream was determined by the speed of the electric motor driving the pump such as 10, 15, 20, 25 Hz. The feed stream was reheated using a heat exchanger to minimize the heat loss caused by the pump. In a separate stainless steel tank analytical grade methanol and NaOH were mixed together to form sodium methoxide which catalysed the reaction. This step was carried out simultaneously as the feed oil was being heated. Once the NaOH was completely dissolved in the feed methanol the mixture was pumped to the reaction tank. A catalyst concentration of 3 - 9 g NaOH/l of methanol was used. The methanol/catalyst mixture was passed through a coiled heat exchanger. This converted the liquid mixture into a gas phase. The vapour stream was then allowed to enter the reactor where it reacted with the atomized oil/fat droplets. The reactor temperature was kept at 75 - 90degreesC using low-pressure stream. This was carried out for 15 - 30 minutes. An excess methanol from the system was collected by passing the vapors through a condenser. The collected methanol was weighed to determine the amount that was consumed by the reaction. At the completion of each experimental run the products were collected and allowed to settle into two layers i.e. glycerol and methyl ester. Once the products were separated into two layers, the volume of each layer was measured. The products from this process at all the different flow rates had similar properties (density and viscosity) to that of batch process using Soya bean oil and beef tallow. Unlike conventional batch processes the current process provided a much shorter reaction time. The test process was very capable of producing biodiesel continuously at a flow rate of 10 l/hour. For the methyl ester produced, the density was 0.8789 g/ml, kinematic viscosity was 4.21 and viscosity was 0.0037 Pa.S using the soya ester at a catalyst concentration of 3 g of NaOH/l of methanol and at oil pump setting of 15 Hz.