TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The additional metal oxide in the mixed metal oxide catalyst is at least one of the oxides in which the metal is cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, praseodymium, erbium, gadolinium or ytterbium. The mixed metal oxide catalyst is one of calcium oxide-cerium(IV) oxide, calcium oxide-lanthanum(III) oxide, calcium oxide-neodymium oxide-lanthanum oxide of formula (CaO-NdOx-La2O3), calcium oxide-neodymium oxide-lanthanum oxide-cerium oxide of formula (CaO-NdOx-La2O3-CeO2), calcium oxide-ytterbium oxide-lanthanum oxide-cerium oxide of formula (CaO-YbOx-La2O3-CeO2), calcium oxide-erbium oxide-lanthanum oxide-neodymium oxide of formula (CaO-ErOx-La2O3-NdOx), calcium oxide-cerium oxide-lanthanum oxide-praseodymium oxide of formula (CaO-CeO2-La2O3-PrOx), calcium oxide-neodymium oxide-cerium oxide of formula (CaO-NdOx-CeO2) and calcium oxide-gadolinium oxide-lanthanum oxide of formula (CaO-GdOx-La2O3). The metal oxide support is one of cerium(IV) oxide and lanthanum(III) oxide. The supported catalyst system is in a pelletized form. The calcium in the supported catalyst system is present at 0.5-15 atomic% and the other metals that comprise the additional metal oxide in the supported catalyst system are present at 0-15 atomic%. The metal oxide support exhibits a pH of at least 8 when the support (0.1 g) is added to methanol (2 ml). The supported catalyst system exhibits a pH of at least 10 when the supported catalyst system (0.1 g) is added to methanol (2 ml). Preferred Method: The step of preparing the supported catalyst system uses a mixed metal oxide catalyst comprising calcium oxide and at least one additional mixed metal oxide or at least two other metal oxides. The step of placing an oil feedstock in contact with the supported catalyst system to form a reaction mixture uses soybean oil as the feedstock or the step of placing an unrefined oil feedstock in contact with the supported catalyst system to form a reaction mixture uses an oil: with a free fatty acid concentration that is greater than 0.5 wt.%; and with a water concentration that is greater than 0.06 wt.%. EXAMPLE - A mixed solution of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (9.4 ml) and cerium nitrate hexahydrate (2.4 ml) was added to lanthanum oxide powder (9.0 g). The mixture was kneaded thoroughly and aged for 12 hours and dried for 12 hours. The dried solids are then heated at a rate of 10 degrees C/minute to 500 degrees C and kept for 0.5 hour in air, and were then further calcined at 750 degrees C for 30 minutes to give the supported catalyst system, which was added to a mixture of anhydrous methanol and soybean oil to minimize possible contamination from ambient moisture and carbon dioxide.