Which statement best describes an effect of using a catalyst in an industrial process?
it lowers energy requirements.
it increases waste.
it increases toxic exhaust.
it lowers production rates.

Option (a) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

Catalyst are the species or substances which helps in increasing the rate of a reaction without itself getting consumed in the reaction.

A catalyst lowers the activation energy so that molecules with low energy can easily participate in the chemical reaction and hence product formation becomes faster.

Thus, we can conclude that the statement it lowers energy requirements  best describes an effect of using a catalyst in an industrial process.