The efficiency of a new eco-friendly microemulsion system based on Polyoxyethylene (4) Lauryl ether/Butyl acetate/Water was compared to that of Polyoxyethylene (4) Lauryl ether/Ethyl acetate/Water. The two systems were analyzed with respects to the recovery of monocomponent or multicomponent targeted hydrophilic compounds (Crystal Violet dye and Co2+ ions), from polluted liquid media. In order to determine the optimal recovery conditions, the influence of surfactant and dye concentrations on the volumetric ratio of aqueous phase to microemulsion (F) was studied. Furthermore, heavy metal concentrations and distribution coefficients were analyzed using the ternary and pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. The results showed that the Polyoxyethylene (4) Lauryl ether/Butyl acetate/Water system was more efficient compared to the Polyoxyethylene (4) Lauryl ether/Ethyl acetate/Water system in the recovery of hydrophilic compounds for both monocomponent (Crystal Violet dye or Co2+) and multicomponent (Crystal Violet dye and Co2+) systems. A recovery efficiency of 90.6% for dye and heavy metal ions was obtained using the Polyoxyethylene (4) Lauryl ether/Butyl acetate/Water microemulsion system. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.