Analisis Penggunaan Zeolit Sarulla, Arang Cangkang Kelapa Sawit, dan Magnesium Sulfat (Mgso4) sebagai Zat Aditif dalam Menurunkan Resistansi Pentanahan

Abstract

The grounding system plays a vital role in protecting electrical equipment and installations as well as ensuring human safety from electric shock, with a key requirement being a low ground resistance value. Factors that influence ground resistance include soil moisture and the depth of the grounding electrode. Since not all types of soil are suitable for grounding systems, treatment is often required by adding soil additives to reduce ground resistance. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of an additive consisting of zeolite from Sarulla as the main material, and palm shell charcoal and magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) as supporting materials, in reducing ground resistance. Four variations of additive composition were tested over a period of four weeks using the three-point method, with rod electrodes installed at varying depths of 1.2 m, 1.6 m, 2 m, and 2.4 m. The results showed that the composition of 80% zeolite, 10% charcoal, and 10% MgSO₄ yielded the best performance, producing a resistance value of 4.65 Ω at 80% moisture and a depth of 2.4 m. This composition also demonstrated greater stability in retaining moisture, maintaining 70% moisture by the fourth week.