ANS:A - temperature

The rate of leaching generally increases with increasing: Temperature Increasing the temperature typically accelerates the rate of leaching. This is because higher temperatures enhance the kinetics of the leaching process, allowing for faster dissolution of the solute from the solid phase into the solvent. The increased thermal energy at higher temperatures leads to greater molecular movement and collisions, which in turn promotes more efficient mass transfer between the solid and liquid phases. While factors such as solvent viscosity, pressure, and the size of the solid may influence the leaching process in specific cases, they do not universally lead to a consistent increase in the leaching rate as temperature does.