Experimental evidence and theoretical consideration are presented to draw attention to the adsorptive power of the oil-water interface and the promising potential it provides for the development of an interfacial emulsion technique that can be useful to metal recovery and materials conversion. It is shown that dissolved and suspended metals can be segregated into a compact emulsion in between water and an immiscible oil phase and that such segregation facilitates metal recovery and interfacial catalytic reactions. On account of its property range being wider than that of solid-water and gas-water interfaces, the oil-water interface could provide a flexibility and versatility that would make the envisioned interfacial technique more useful than packed-bed and foam techniques. Other possible advantages include high capacity and high enrichment and the availability of surface variation as a convenient process parameter. Specific applications of the proposed interfacial technique are considered with reference to metal recovery and photocatalytic waste treatment.

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