TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. The alcohol comprises methanol.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: In the method, a sufficient amount of catalyst is added to adjust the reactant mixture to a predetermined pH, which is 8.5-9.5. The method further comprises separating the methanol from the product mixture and recovering a separated methanol stream and reusing the separated methanol stream in subsequent process steps; washing the methyl ester fraction with acid, washing the methyl ester fraction with water, separating a residual acid wash and wash water from the methyl ester fraction and passing the methyl ester through a dry desiccant and ion exchange resin. The step of separating the glycerin fraction from the methyl ester fraction comprises providing a predetermined time period for the product mixture to separate into two phases by gravity. The agglomerating polymer is blended with the product mixture at 0.5-100 (preferably 5-25) parts per million by weight of the feed source. The predetermined reaction temperature is 25-50 (preferably 35-45) degrees C. The predetermined separation temperature is 40-80 (preferably 60-70) degrees C. The method further comprises centrifuging the product mixture. The predetermined reaction time is 20-60 minutes. The predetermined precipitation time is 2-4 hours. The method further comprises pretreating the feed source containing triglyceride.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - The agglomerating polymer is sodium acrylate acrylamide copolymer, polydimethylamine-epichlorohydrin, diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride, poly-diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride and/or polydicyandiamide. EXAMPLE - Canola oil (1000 cc) was reacted with methanol (200 cc) and sodium hydroxide catalyst (0.9 wt.%) at 45 degrees C for 40 minutes. Poly-diallyldimethylammonium chloride was blended with the reactant mixture of methanol, catalyst and the oil, at a rate of 15 parts per million by weight of the feed source, for 10 minutes. Glycerin was separated from the mixture to obtain methyl ester.