The top destination for Brazilian ethanol exports in September was China with a total of 74.4 million liters, according to latest data from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (SECEX).

Ethanol exported out of Brazil to China is the highest ever recorded and brings the total exported to China in 2015 to 90.7 million liters.

A recent surge in volumes to China has been triggered by higher Chinese domestic ethanol prices, which have been inflated in recent months by high feedstock corn and tapioca prices, and by low utilization rates across China's ethanol production capacity.

Denatured ethanol shipped into China is typically blended into gasoline by the country's oil companies, while undenatured ethanol tends to be used by the chemical or pharmaceutical industries.

SECEX revised the total exported in September to 173.9 million liters, the third highest volume so far this year.

The second main destination for Brazil ethanol exports in September was the US with 45.4 million liters, down considerably from the 135.5 million liters exported in August.

The arbitrage window that opened by mid-June increased interest in shipping Brazilian ethanol north in July and August.

Cumulative Brazilian exports so far this year have recently recovered and are now 5% higher compared with same period last year at 1.12 million liters.

Estimates from Kingsman point to total ethanol exports of 1.42 billion liters for 2015, which includes both fuel and industrial ethanol exported out of the Center-South and North-Northeast regions.

Out of this total, about 850 million liters should be exported to the US, an increase of 17% compared with 2014, with 350 million liters of that for fuel usage and the balance destined for long-term contracts for ETBE reprocessing.

Other main destinations for Brazil ethanol exports in September were South Korea with 35.14 million liters (up from 30.8 million liters in August) and the Netherlands with 10.7 million liters (up from zero last month).