A general mass transfer enhancement factor model (GEFM) has been developed based on the enhancement mechanism proposed in this paper taking both shuttle effect and hydrodynamic effect into account to calculate the overall enhancement factor due to the presence of dispersed particles. GEFM can describe the phenomena of the enhancement factor increasing with partition coefficient (m), surface covering fraction (alpha) and dispersed phase volume fraction (phi) increase, leveling off at higher phi, changing of enhancement factor (E) at different conditions. Moreover, GEFM can give the enhancement factor not only of multiphase system relative to the pure liquid phase (even at quite high phi), but also in the same system under different conditions (e.g. stirrer speed, viscosity). The enhancement factors predicted from GEFM are consistent with the experimental observations well. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.