(Liquid + liquid) equilibria and tie lines for the ternary systems of (water + phosphoric acid + 1-butanol) and (water + phosphoric acid + butyl acetate) were measured at T = 308.2 K. The experimental ternary (liquid + liquid) equilibrium data were correlated with the UNIQUAC model. The reliability of the experimental tie lines was confirmed using Othmer-Tobias correlation. The average root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) values of (water + phosphoric acid + 1-butanol) and (water + phosphoric acid+butyl acetate) systems were 2.17% and 2.16%, respectively. Distribution coefficients and separation factors were measured to evaluate the extracting capability of the solvents. The results show that butyl acetate may be considered as a reliable organic solvent for the extraction of phosphoric acid from aqueous solutions. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.