Grounding systems enhancement using biodegradable waste soil additives: Measurement and analysis

A grounding system is essential for ensuring the safety and reliability of structures, buildings, telecommunication facilities, and transmission line towers by protecting them from short faults or lightning strikes during storms. An efficient grounding system requires low-resistance pathways, which can be achieved by incorporating grounding enhancement materials as additives to the local soil. Grounding enhancement materials generally include conventional chemical agents, natural substances, and modern waste-derived alternatives. This paper proposes the use of new biodegradable waste materials and a metrological framework to improve the effectiveness of grounding systems. In this regard, five grounding system installations were developed and tested using locally available materials in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. Investigated materials as high to lower performance are include palm oil decanter cake (DC), wash ash mixed with sea sand (WS, 50:50), coconut shell charcoal (CC), and palm oil mesocarp fibre (POMF). For comparison, the systems were monitored over 6 months from 15 October to 30 April the nest year using the fall-of-potential (FOP) method measurement technique with the 62% rule of single-rod and layered low-resistivity-material (LRM) configurations. This refines a measurement technique that was compared to the performance of the system with native soil (NS). A post-installation proposed for boosting treatment (activated-carbon slurry for CC; decanter-cake slurry for DC) restored resistance improvements over a short observation. The findings contribute to measurement science by finding that validated biodegradable soil-enhancement materials significantly improve grounding resistance over time. Particularly, the CC and DC offer a low-cost, friendly, environmentally responsible option for enhancing grounding system resistance.