ETHANOL A total of 1.19 billion gallons of U.S. ethanol was shipped out in 2011, with one-third going to Brazil, this year’s No. 1 importer of U.S. ethanol. “The official numbers are in and they confirm what the industry has known all year: 2011 was a huge year for ethanol exports,” said Geoff Cooper, vice president of research and analysis for RFA.