Janus channel of membranes enables concurrent oil and water recovery from emulsions

Existing separation technologies struggle to recover oil and water concurrently from surfactant-stabilized emulsions to achieve the goal of near-zero liquid discharge. We present a Janus channel of membranes (JCM) that features a confined architecture constructed of a pair of hydrophilic and hydrophobic membranes, which allows for concurrent, highly efficient recovery of oil and water from surfactant-stabilized emulsions. The confined Janus channel can amplify the interplay of the membrane pair through a feedback loop that involves enrichment and demulsification. Our JCM achieves exceptional oil and water recoveries of up to 97 and 75%, respectively, with near 99.9% purities. Moreover, its versatility in handling diverse emulsions may enable near-zero liquid discharge for a range of separations.