In the literature, numerous experimental expressions give the value of the particle Sherwood number as a function of the particle Reynolds number, for packed beds. Nevertheless, these correlating equations vary from one study to another, depending on the range of Reynolds number and the particle shape. By using more appropriate variables for describing the porous media and introducing a wall energetic criterion Xe-w, a general correlating equation is proposed based on the following considerations. In a fixed bed, mass transfer exhibits the same behavior as in an equivalent capillary tube. At low Reynolds numbers, the mass transfer coefficient tends towards that occurring at the surface of a smooth tube, for fully laminar flow conditions. When inertial dissipation increases, the rise in mass transfer depends on the value of Xe,. Finally, the developed expression gives a good prediction of the value of Sherwood number in various systems, such as packed beds of spheres, cylinders, plates and metallic foam for linear and non-linear laminar flow and in smooth tubes for turbulent flow conditions.