Succinic acid extraction and recovery from aqueous solution via emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) was investigated. The liquid membrane formulation consists of Amberlite LA2 as a carrier, palm oil as a diluent, sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) as surfactants, sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) as a stripping agent, and octanol as a modifier. At the best condition of 0.01 M Na2CO3, 1:3 treat ratio, 0.7 M Amberlite LA2, 10% w/v modifier, and external solution of pH 2, the extraction of succinic acid was up to 71%. The optimization of recovery by response surface methodology (RSM) shows that around 40% of succinic acid was recovered. At the favorable condition, 84% of succinic acid was recovered with almost 100% purity. Hence, the ELM study can be extended to extract and recover succinic acid from real fermentation broth. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13065, 2019