TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst is a combination of zinc oxide and alumina in a ratio excluding one to one mole ratio. The catalyst is an alumina-based catalyst specifically washed with base solutions and modified with an organosilane (preferably ZnAl2O4). The reaction may also be carried out in absence of the purge gas. The purge gas is nitrogen and/or argon. The heating is carried out 300 to 420 degrees C. The bio-1-alcohol is 1-butanol, 1-pentanol and/or 1-hexanol or a long chain bioalcohol including 1-hexadecanol. The bio-1-alkene is contacted with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst to form oligomers useful in preparing high flashpoint biodiesel fuels, which includes flashpoints in the range of 61 to 100 degrees C and Cetane rating of 45 to 60; cold flow viscosities of less than 8.5 cSt at -20 degrees C or the bio-1-alkene is contacted with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst to form oligomers useful in preparing biolubricants with viscosities in the range of 1 to 10000 cSt at 25 degrees C. Preferred Catalyst: The solid support is gamma -alumina or zinc luminate (ZnAl2O4). The solid support is prepared by heating an equal molar ratio of zinc oxide and gamma -alumina at 800 to 1100 degrees C or by heating a mixture of zinc oxide and gamma -alumina at 800 to 1100 degrees C, where zinc oxide is utilized is in the amount of 1 to 20 mol.% excess. The catalyst is treated with an aqueous base solution that comprises (wt.%): sodium or potassium hydroxide (1-20) for a period of 1 to 12 hours. The catalyst is treated with an aqueous base solution and then dried at 100-150 degrees C for about 4 to 24 hours under an atmosphere of air or inert gas (preferably nitrogen). The organosilane is selected from (R)3SiCl, (R)2SiCl2 or RSiCl3.R=linear or branched 1-20C alkyl chain, phenyl or aromatic substituent EXAMPLE - A catalyst was prepared from gamma -alumina powder (300 g, 185 m2/g, and pore volume of 0.43 cc/g) and modified with base wash, dried, and then modified by treatment with diphenylsilane dichlorosilane (2 wt.%) in hexanes. The modified alumina (280 g) was air dried and loaded into the fix-bed continuous flow reactor and heated to 380 degrees C and the dehydration of bio-1-butanol including water (18 wt.%) was performed with a feed of 0.8 mL/minute at a pressure of 30 psig created with flow restriction to maintain adequate flow stability with the HPLC pump. The total chemical yield of biobutenes was 98%, regioselectivity for bio-1-butene was 95%, and time on stream (TOS) for the catalyst was 20 days.