A modified airlift reactor with rectangular wire-mesh draft tubes was developed. The draft tubes improved the liquid mixing and decreased the bubble coalescence in the airlift reactor. Mixing time, volumetric mass transfer coefficient and gas holdup were employed to describe the performance of the proposed reactor. The reactor, in both the small and large scales, had the higher capabilities of liquid mixing and mass transfer in comparison with those of the conventional bubble column. By using the proposed reactor, the mixing time reduced up to 30%, volumetric mass transfer coefficient and gas holdup increased up to 50% and 90%, respectively.