Phenols are often present in wastewaters from many industrial processes, such as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, ceramic plants, steel plants, coal conversion processes. Phenols are pollutants of high priority concerns because of their toxicity and possible accumulation in the environment. At present, several methods, such as microbial degradation, adsorption, chemical oxidation, incineration, solvent extraction, reverse osmosis and irradiation, are used for removing phenols from a wastewater. Conventional extraction processes are conducted presently in towers, columns or mixersettlers. Membrane-based solvent extraction (membrane contactor) can be used as an alternative technique to the classical solvent extraction. In such situation, the first liquid phase flows in the lumens of the fibers and the second phase through the shell side of the contactor. The liquid–liquid interface is immobilized in the pores of the membrane and can be regulated by maintenance of a suitable pressure difference between both phases. A membrane is only a physical support and does not play an active role in the separation. The advantages of membrane contactors over classical extractors are: high surface area per unit volume, possibility of changing the hydrodynamics of both phases independently, no need for different densities of the phases, no emulsification and no loading or flooding. The new concept of membrane contactor enhanced by the micellar solubilization will be presented. Application of micellar solubilization of organic component in the receiving phase reduces its concentration at a membrane wall and thus enhances the kinetic of the mass transfer. Phenols are solubilized within a micellar interior above the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Dimensions of micelles are much larger than the phenolic molecules. They contain about 50–100 surfactant molecules. The micellar solution flows counter-currently inside or outside the capillaries whereas the feed solution containing phenols flows on the other side of the capillary. The driving force of phenol diffusion through the membrane pore was enhanced thanks to solubilization of the phenol molecules within micelles. *Corresponding author. 424.fm 6 11