Abstract: Processes for making biodiesel are improved by fast, vapor fractionating a crude biodiesel containing alkyl ester, lower alkanol and a catalytically effective amount of base catalyst to obtain a lower alkanol fraction having a low content of water without undue loss of alkyl ester despite the presence of active catalyst.

Abstract: An aldehyde composition derived by hydroformylation of a transesterified seed oil and containing a mixture of formyl-substituted fatty acids or fatty acid esters having the following composition by weight: greater than about 10 to less than about 95 percent monoformyl, greater than about 1 to less than about 65 percent diformyl, and greater than about 0.1 to less than about 10 percent triformyl-substituted fatty acids or fatty acid esters, and having a diformyl to triformyl weight ratio of greater than about 5/1; preferably, greater than about 3 to less than about 20 percent saturates; and preferably, greater than about 1 to less than about 20 percent unsaturates.