Experiments were conducted to investigate the extraction of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) from aqueous solution by liquid membrane. Main research efforts were focused on the identification of the optimal operating conditions for the liquid membrane system. An equilibrium equation of the Langmuir-type was proposed for describing the equilibrium 2-CP distribution between the external aqueous phase and the internal water-in-oil (W/O) emulsionphase. The proposed model predicts reasonably well the 2-CP phase equilibrium relation. Furthermore, a mass transfer model based on the linear driving force principle was also adopted in this work for representing 2-CP mass transfer from the external aqueous phase to the W/O emulsion. The simplified mass transfer model involved only a single parameter, i.e. the empirical mass transfer coefficient, which was easily established using observed data generated under various operating conditions. The mass transfer model considerably facilitates estimation of the 2-CP mass transfer rate in the liquid membrane system.