Commercial electrolytic cells for producing aluminum
operate at 5.0 V and 100,000 A.
(a) How long does it take to produce exactly 1 metric ton (1000 kg)
of aluminum?
(b) How much electrical power (in kilowatt-hours, kW·h) is used
(1 W = 1 J/s; 1 kW·h = 3.6×103
kJ)?
(c) If electricity costs $0.123 per kW·h and cell efficiency is 90.%,
what is the cost of electricity to produce exactly 1 lb of aluminum?
