TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The crude tall oil is reacted with the 1-6C alkanol by reflexing a mixture of the crude tall oil and the 1-6C alkanol, at a temperature of at least about the boiling temperature of the 1-6C alkanol, in the presence of the acid catalyst; or by contacting the crude tall oil with the 1-6C alkanol, in the presence of the acid catalyst, in a closed system at a temperature of at least about the boiling temperature of the 1-6C alkanol. The reflux is conducted at 55-120 (preferably 65-110)degreesC over a period of no more than 2 (preferably 1) hours. The contact occurs at 55-90degreesC for no more than 2 hours. The reaction of the crude tall oil and the acyl halide occurs by slow addition of the acyl halide to the crude tall oil in the 1-6C alkanol at reduced temperature in a closed system followed by heating at a temperature of the 1-6C alkanol for no more than 2 hours. The acyl halide is added to the crude tall oil in the 1-6C alkanol at -10-10degreesC and the heating occurs at 25-100degreesC over a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours. The biodiesel reaction product is (a) contacted with a volume of a polar liquid at least equal to the volume of the biodiesel reaction product where a suspension liquid is formed; (b) contacting the suspension liquid with an organic solvent where a two-phase liquid mixture, an organic liquid phase and a polar liquid phase, is obtained; (c) removing and recovering the organic solvent from the organic phase by evaporation; and (d) recovering the biodiesel by vacuum distillation of the organic solvent-free product of step (c). The water is added to the biodiesel reaction product in a volume of up to about three (or two) times the volume of the biodiesel reaction product. The aqueous phase obtained in the step (b) is contacted at least once with the organic solvent where a two-phase liquid mixture is formed and where the organic phase in each of the organic solvent contacting steps is added to the organic liquid phase prior to the step (c).Preferred Components: The 1-6C alkanol is methanol (preferred), ethanol or propanol and the acid catalyst is sulfuric acid (preferred) or hydrochloric acid. The process comprises refluxing the mixture in the presence of a water absorbing agent. The acyl halide is acetyl chloride or acetyl bromide. The polar liquid is water; the polar liquid phase is an aqueous phase. The extracting agent is ethyl acetate, methylene chloride, ethylene chloride, chloroform, hexane, ether or petroleum ether. The organic solvent added in the step (b) is ethyl acetate. EXAMPLE - Crude tall oil (150 g), methanol (350 mL) and concentrated sulfuric acid (3 mL) were placed in a flask and and mixed. The contents of the reaction mixture were refluxed for 1 hour at 100degreesC. Water (700 mL) was added to the resultant reaction product producing a suspension liquid. The suspension liquid was contacted with ethyl acetate (300 mL). The top organic liquid phase was recovered and saved. The bottom aqueous phase was contacted with ethyl acetate to produce another two phase mixture. The organic liquid phase was recovered and added to the saved organic liquid phase. Finally, the aqueous liquid phase was contacted with ethyl acetate in a third contacting step and the third organic liquid phase was added to the recoveries of the first two ethyl acetate contacting steps. The combined organic liquid phases of the three ethyl acetate extractions were evaporated to drive off the ethyl acetate extracting agent. The resultant extract-free organic phase was distilled under vacuum (2 mm Hg) and the fraction below 200degreesC was collected as the biodiesel product. The biodiesel product was obtained in a yield of 83.4 g, providing a yield of 55.5 wt.%.