TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The transition metal is Group 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 transition metal. The hydrogenolysis catalyst comprises ruthenium, platinum, iron or molybdenum; or molybdenum, tungsten, technetium, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, iridium, nickel or palladium (preferably ruthenium, osmium, iridium, nickel or palladium, especially nickel or palladium). The oxidation state of the transition metal of the hydrogenolysis catalyst is zero. The hydrogenolysis catalyst comprises nanoparticles of the transition metal. The hydrogenolysis catalyst comprises the transition metal (0.5-15 wt.%) and a support material, where the transition metal is supported on the support material. The support material comprises a metal oxide, carbon, silica, pillar clay or zeolite (preferably titania, zinc oxide, carbon, silica, gallium oxide, alumina, MgO, ceria, lanthium oxide, pillar clay or zeolite); or carbon, which carbon comprises graphite powder, carbon black, activated carbon, microporous carbon, glassy carbon, charcoal, coke, carbon nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes (preferably titania, zinc oxide, carbon, gallium oxide or alumina). The support material has BET surface area that is at least 5 m2/g; and is pH neutral. The transition metal is ruthenium, osmium, iridium, nickel or palladium (preferably osmium, indium, nickel or palladium, especially nickel or palladium). The hydrogenolysis catalyst comprises ruthenium supported on titania, ruthenium supported on zinc oxide, ruthenium supported on carbon, ruthenium supported on a zeolite, unsupported nickel, nickel supported on titania, nickel supported on zinc oxide, nickel supported on carbon, nickel supported on a zeolite, palladium supported on titania, palladium supported on zinc oxide, palladium supported on carbon, palladium supported on gallium oxide, palladium supported on alumina, indium supported on gallium oxide or osmium supported on gallium oxide (preferably nickel supported on zinc oxide, nickel supported on a zeolite, palladium supported on titania, palladium supported on zinc oxide, palladium supported on gallium oxide or palladium supported on alumina; especially palladium supported on titania or palladium supported on zinc oxide); or unsupported nickel, nickel supported on titania, nickel supported on zinc oxide, nickel supported on carbon, nickel supported on a zeolite, palladium supported on titania, palladium supported on zinc oxide, palladium supported on gallium oxide, palladium supported on alumina, iridium supported on gallium oxide or osmium supported on gallium oxide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method further involves recovering the methanol. The step of treating the alcohol with hydrogen is carried out in the presence or absence of a solvent (preferably water) at 50-200 degrees C and hydrogen pressure of 1-250 bar. The method further involves esterifying a fatty acid with the methanol thus producing biodiesel. Preferred Components: The sugar alcohol is glycerol. Preferred Definitions:    n=0-8;    m=1-8.    EXAMPLE - Catalyst was prepared as follows: Ruthenium nanoparticles were synthesized via the polyol process: Alfa Aesar Ru-70 (RTM: tris(acetylacetonato) ruthenium (IE)) (0.52 mmol) was dissolved in octyl ether (6 ml), oleic acid (0.26 mmol) and oleylamine (0.26 mmol) was added to the mixture as stabilizers followed by 1,2-hexadecanediol (2 mmol) as a reducing agent. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere for 30 minutes in a refluxing set-up without heating. The mixture was then heated into 280 degrees C for 40 minutes under nitrogen to form a black sol. The reaction was then cooled to room temperature before turning the nitrogen off. The sol was repeatedly washed with equal portions of ethanol and hexane and centrifuged to precipitate the Ru metal nanoparticles to remove the excess stabilizers on the particles. The Ru nanoparticles were dried, weighed and re-dispersed in hexane using an ultrasonic bath at 40 degrees C for an hour before wet impregnating on T-44 (RTM: graphite powder) to form Ru (10 wt.%) on the graphite powder. The obtained catalyst (25 mg) was placed in the autoclave and solution (5 vol.%) of glycerol (5 ml) in deionized water was added. The autoclave was then flushed with pure hydrogen for a minute to remove any traces of oxygen. The autoclave was then charged with 20 bar of hydrogen and heated to 100 degrees C for 24 hours. The autoclave was then cooled to 10 degrees C and the gas phase was sampled and analyzed by a gas chromatograph. The liquid phase was analyzed for glycerol analysis and methanol analysis. The results showed that the % conversion of glycerol was 18.32; methanol yield was 0.3922 (exclusive product) and mass balance was 105.15%. Thus the glycerol was cracked hydrolytically to methanol as an exclusive product, using ruthenium nanoparticles impregnated on graphite as the catalyst, under the relatively mild reaction conditions of 100 degrees C and 20 bar of hydrogen over a reaction period of 24 hours.