A membrane contactor is a device that achieves liquid/liquid or gas/liquid mass transfer without dispersion of one phase within another. This is accomplished by passing the fluids on opposite sides of a microporous membrane. This approach offers a number of important advantages over conventional dispersed phase contactors, including absence of emulsions, no flooding at high flow rates, no unloading at low flow rates, and high interfacial area. This article provides a general review of membrane contactors, including operating principles and applications.