A single-stage cocurrent arrangement was described based on a three-dimensional (3-D) vortex microextractor using the vortex effect, and the 3-D microextractor was further modified to establish a countercurrent arrangement without any interstage pumps or check valves. The 3-D vortex microextractor mainly composed of an inlet channel, two circular chambers, a slender cylindrical connection channel, and an outlet channel. In both cocurrent and countercurrent operations, the flow pattern and extraction performance were investigated and analyzed. In the cocurrent arrangement, the hydraulics experiment results demonstrated that the 3-D vortex microextractor could passively and effectively produce droplets even at high fluxes of the dispersed phase. The extraction experiment results confirmed that the vortex effect of the 3-D microextractor could enhance the shear force and facilitate the production of droplets, consequently enhancing the extraction efficiency. Furthermore, it was experimentally proved that the countercurrent arrangement could be realized relying on the modified 3-D microextractor and alternatively pulsed feeding of both phases. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.