The sectional quadrature method of moments (SQMOM), as a discrete population balance model, is applied for the first time to model the hydrodynamics of a reactive system (EFCE test system for zinc extraction with the ion exchanger di‐(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA)) in a Kühni liquid‐liquid extraction column. The influence of the ion exchanger as well as different operating conditions like stirrer rotational speed, phase ratio, and column loading on column hydrodynamic parameters such as holdup, flooding limits, and droplet size distribution were investigated. A comparison showed a good agreement of the 1D population model with the experimental results.