TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The cellular material is lipid-containing biomass from animals, plants, fungi, microalgae, macroalgae, bacteria, diatoms, or protozoa. The cellular material comprises at least 10 wt/wt.% intact cells.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The composition contains water (at least 1, 5, 10, 20, or 50 wt/wt.%); cellular material (10-90 wt/wt.%). The alcohol has 1-20 carbon atoms (preferably methanol or ethanol). Preferred Method: The step of elevating the temperature and pressure within the reactor creates a near critical or supercritical reaction condition. The temperature is elevated to 180-450degrees C. The pressure is elevated to 0.5-40 Mpa. The oily phase comprises at least one of fatty acids, monoglycerides, diglycerides, or triglycerides. The oily phase is reacted with the alcohol at a near critical or supercritical reaction condition. The reaction is carried out in the presence of a co-solvent selected from carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, sulfur hexafluoride, 1-20C alkanes and alkenes, alkyl halides, aromatic hydrocarbons, silicones, ethers, amines, alkyl oxides or esters. The reaction is carried out in the presence of a catalyst selected from inorganic or organic acids or bases, metals or their oxides, silicates, carbonates or other salts of aluminum, magnesium, calcium, titanium, hafnium, nickel, silicon and zirconium. The method further comprises purifying the fatty acid esters produced. The separating is accomplished by process selected from settling, gravity separation, centrifugal separation, filtration, and extraction. The vessel is a batch processing vessel/continuous flow processing vessel. The composition is reacted with an aqueous solution (5-90 wt.%). The method involves reacting a composition comprising cellular material in a reactor with an aqueous solution. The reactor comprises a container containing a porous structure. The porous structure is reticulated foam. EXAMPLE - A slurry of proprietary microalgae containing cells (0.58 g (dry weight)) in water (8 ml), was added, along with technical grade hexane (3.5 ml), to a stainless steel pressure vessel. The vessel was sealed and heated to 350degrees C for 20 minutes, then cooled and opened. The hexane layer was combined with an equal volume of technical grade methanol, then sealed and reheated in the pressure vessel for an additional 20 minutes at 350degrees C. The resulting reaction mixture was dried at 80degrees C until no further weight loss was noted. The residue weighed 0.24 grams and, upon chromatographic analysis, was shown to consist of a nearly pure mixture of 10-22C fatty acid methyl esters. The yield of algae derived methyl esters was over 49%.