Respuesta :
Answer:
The correct answer is option a, that is, the process is less expensive.
Explanation:
Lithium refers to a metal, which is generally utilized in batteries like the ones found in cellphones, laptops, and other digital apparatuses. It also has an application in manufacturing aircraft and as a medication for certain health conditions.
For many years, the commercial production of lithium dependent upon the mineral ore bases, however, getting lithium from these sources is substantially more costly in comparison to extracting it from the lithium-constituting brines. It has been found that the expense of extracting lithium from hard rock is predicted to be double in comparison to that of getting it from the brines.
The salar brines are illustrated as the underground sources, which comprise high amounts of salts in dissolved state like potassium, lithium, and sodium. These are commonly found underneath the dried lakebeds surface called salars. The majority of the lithium found at present is obtained from the brine reservoirs situated in the regions of China and southwestern South America.
Most companies have started extracting lithium from salt water instead of mineral ore because the process is less expensive.
How to remove lithium from salt water?
An electrochemical cell containing a ceramic membrane made of lithium oxide and a lanthanum-titanium alloy, a mixture known as LLTO (lithium-lanthanum-titanium-oxygen).
Lithium but not the larger metal ions, effectively blocking sodium, magnesium, potassium and other.
With this information, we can conclude that extracting lithium from the sea is cheaper because the researchers estimate that the cell would need only $5 of electricity to extract 1 kilogram of lithium from seawater.
Learn more about Lithium in brainly.com/question/1439744
