Long-term stability of reducing ground resistance with water-absorbent polymers

A ground resistance reduction method using a water-absorbent polymer is shown to be superior to one using bentonite material in terms of the use amount and the grounding electrode corrosion. The required weight of water-absorbent polymer is about 1/160, and the corrosion of the grounding electrode is about one-tenth that of bentonite material. Evaluation of microorganism decomposition and thermal stability demonstrated that the anhydrous-maleic-acid polymer is suitable for use as a ground-resistance-reducing material. In addition, ground resistance and compressive strength are estimated to be stable for over a year under dry and wet conditions if a tenfold increase in ground resistance is acceptable