Liquid-liquid equilibrium data for water + lactic acid +{1-butanol or 2-butanol, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, 1-heptanol} systems at T=298.2 K and atmospheric pressure (approximate to 95 kPa) were determined by density and refractive index measurements. The systems present Treybal's type I binodal curves. Obtained tie line data were correlated with NRTL model. Cloud points, tie lines, partition coefficients, selectivities and percent of extraction indicate that 1-pentanol is better than the other solvents studied for lactic acid removal from water. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.