TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: Producing biodiesel from biolipids further comprises manipulating the pressure and/or the velocity of the fluidic reaction mixture in the cavitation device prior to the generating step. The cavitation device comprises a flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation device, a rotor-stator cavitation device, and/or a high-energy (high-speed) jet collision cavitation device. The method comprises repeating the pumping, reducing, generating, collapsing, and reacting steps in a second cavitation device connected in series or parallel with the cavitation device. It also comprises exposing the fluidic reaction mixture to a sonic or ultrasonic irradiation source. The catalyst comprises an alkoxide, carbonate or hydroxide of sodium, potassium, calcium or barium; an inorganic base; an organic base; tetrabutylammonium tribromide (TEATS); hydrochloric acid; sulfuric acid; sulfonic acid; a heteropoly acid; a Lewis acid; a Sronsted acid; a Sronsted acidic ionic liquid; a membrane catalyst; acetyl chloride/ethanol; and/or lipase. The biodiesel comprises a fatty acid lower alkyl ester. The biolipids comprise crude or preliminarily treated plant oil, including canola oil, castor bean oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cotton oil, hemp oil, Jatropha oil, linseed (flax seed) oil, mustard seed oil, nut oil, olive oil, palm oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and tall oil; algal oil; fish oil; animal fat, including grease, lard, tallow and waste fat, bird fat; and any oil produced by using wild-type or genetically modified bacteria, yeast, fungi or other live unicellular or multicellular organisms. The low-molecular weight alcohol comprises a 1-4C alcohol, methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, or 1-butanol. The method further comprises heating or cooling the fluidic reaction mixture prior to the pumping step. It further comprises subjecting the biolipids to an initial hydrodynamic cavitation prior to the mixing step. It also comprises adding a reagent to the biolipids prior to the subjecting step. Reducing comprises flowing the fluidic reaction mixture through sequential compartments of progressively smaller cross-sectional area to decrease the fluid pressure and generate cavitation features in the fluidic reaction mixture; and collapsing comprises flowing the fluidic reaction mixture through sequential compartments of progressively larger cross-sectional area, to increase the fluid pressure and collapse cavitation features in the fluidic reaction mixture. The separation step includes using gravity separation, centrifugation, filtration, adsorption, absorption, distillation, vaporization, and/or extraction. Specifically, producing biodiesel from biolipids comprises: (a) mixing the biolipids with a 1-4C alcohol to obtain a two-phase, liquid-liquid fluidic reaction mixture; (b) binding a catalyst to inner surfaces of a hydrodynamic, flow-through cavitation device; (c) pumping the fluidic reaction mixture through the cavitation device at an inlet pump pressure and an inlet fluid velocity; (d) reducing the fluid pressure of the fluidic reaction mixture so that it reaches the vapor pressure of the 1-4C alcohol; (e) generating cavitational fluid features, including 1-4C alcohol vapor-filled bubbles, in the fluidic reaction mixture to obtain a two-phase liquid-gas fluidic reaction mixture containing the biolipids in a liquid state and the 1-4C alcohol in a gaseous state; (f) collapsing the 1-4C alcohol vapor-filled bubbles resulting in localized elevations of temperature and pressure; (g) reacting the liquid state biolipids with the gaseous state 1-4C alcohol to produce the biodiesel and a glycerol; and (h) separating the biodiesel from the glycerol. Specifically, producing fatty acid alkyl esters from oil or fat through esterification or trans-esterification reactions comprises: (a) mixing the oil or fat with a low-molecular weight alcohol and a catalyst to form a fluidic reaction mixture; (b) pumping the fluidic reaction mixture through a passageway in a flow-through cavitation device at an inlet pump pressure and an inlet fluid velocity; (c) flowing the fluidic reaction mixture through the passageway at a flow rate so that any given portion of the fluidic reaction mixture passes through the cavitation device in a few seconds; (d) passing the fluidic mixture through sequential compartments in the passageway, the sequential compartments having varying diameters and inner surface features; (e) reducing the fluid pressure of the fluidic reaction mixture so that it reaches the vapor pressure of the low-molecular weight alcohol; (f) generating cavitational fluid features, including low-molecular weight alcohol vapor-filled bubbles, in the fluidic reaction mixture to obtain a two-phase liquid-gas fluidic reaction mixture containing the biolipids in a liquid state and the low-molecular weight alcohol in a gaseous state; (g) collapsing the low-molecular weight alcohol vapor-filled bubbles resulting in localized elevations of temperature and pressure; (h) reacting the liquid state biolipids with the gaseous state low-molecular weight alcohol by free fatty acid (FFA) esterification and/or triglyceride trans-esterification to produce fatty acid alkyl esters and glycerol; (i) restoring the fluid pressure to the inlet pump pressure to eliminate the cavitation features; and (j) separating the fatty acid alkyl esters from the glycerol. EXAMPLE - No example given.