It has been suggested to me that not only can one make biodiesel comercially by acid estrification alone (presumably under pressure and at high temps) but that doing so will eventually estrify the waxes that cause gelling in the winter.

Any thoughts on this?

The things which gel in winter are already methyl esters so acid transesterification will be no better. To achieve relatively complete transesterification with acid requires huge excess of alcohol, high temp, very long time. It must cost more.

You'd think wouldn't you?

He is using methanol recovery and planning glycerine distillation.

Time would seem to be the main drawwback given the right equipment. Is that unavoidable?

He said it was an alternative to chilling and cold filtering to remove what he refered to as waxes which gell out before the fuel itself gells (as I understand what he said).

This is the same guy that told me you could distil methanol from water at a specific precise temperature; a theory Tilly subsequently disproved through experiment.

He does make bio though is building a biggish comercial plant.