The (liquid + liquid) equilibrium (LLE) data are vital for the liquid extraction of cresols from aqueous solution with 2-pentanone as an extraction agent. Therefore, the ternary LLE data for {2-pentanone + o-cresol, m-cresol or p-cresol + water} were determined at T = (298.15 and 323.15) K and p = 101.3 kPa. And the reliability of the LLE data was ascertained by using the Othmer-Tobias and Hand equations. The distribution coefficients and separation factors were calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of extracting cresols from water. The thermodynamic NRTL and UNIQUAC models were used to correlate the experimental LLE data of the studied systems, and the binary interaction parameter values were obtained from the data correlation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd.