NOVELTY - Manufacture of carbonate ester involves reacting ketone and alcohol, obtaining a ketal, reacting ketal and carbon dioxide, supplying unreacted ketone during production of ketal to an entrainer, and separating carbonate ester in a distilling column. The amount of ketone by-produced in reactor (20) is controlled by optimizing reaction conditions and raw material composition, and supplying ketal containing ketone and alcohol to oil separator (81). The supply amount of alcohol and ketone is adjusted by performing temperature control and adjustment of feed water supply.    USE - Manufacture of carbonate ester e.g. dimethyl carbonate (claimed) used as gasoline additive, carbonylation agent or raw material for polycarbonate used as engineering plastics, and raw material for fuel cell.    ADVANTAGE - The method enables manufacture of carbonate ester with controlled usage of acetone and methanol as entrainer with improved azeotropic property.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Manufacture of carbonate ester involves reacting ketone and alcohol, obtaining a ketal, reacting ketal and carbon dioxide, supplying unreacted ketone during production of ketal to an entrainer, and separating carbonate ester in a distilling column. The composition of raw material supplied to the distilling column is adjusted, such that ketone and alcohol remain in azeotropic point composition. The amount of ketone by-produced in reactor is controlled by optimizing reaction conditions and raw material composition, and supplying ketal containing ketone and alcohol to oil separator of reactor. The supply amount of alcohol and ketone is adjusted by performing temperature control and adjustment of feed water supply. The amount of light gas discharged from vertex of degassing tower (40) during discharge of carbonate ester is adjusted by performing temperature control and pressure regulation of degassing tower, in which mixture obtained by separating carbon dioxide is supplied. The shortage of ketone is supplemented by utilizing the ketone in light gas discharged from the tower top of degassing tower, or ketone in the gas recycled from alcohol and water in separator and dehydrating tower (80) discharging the ketone from tower top.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows the schematic view of dimethyl carbonate manufacturing apparatus. (Drawing includes non-English language text)    Reactor (20)    Degassing tower (40)    Dimethyl carbonate refining tower (50)    Dehydrating tower (80)    Oil separator (81)