VALEDICTORY TALK
BY
DR. RAHUL SIRVI
EARTH SCIENTIST
Faculty, Department of Geology, Govt. Motilal Vigyan Mahavidyalaya (MVM) College, Bhopal,
TITLE OF THE TALK
GEOMATERIALS FOR NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS
6:00 to 7:00 PM IST on Wednesday, December 17th, 2025.
ONLINE MEET.
Link will be sent on the day of the talk to all those who register.
THE TALK
In an era of rapid environmental change, Earth Science is at the forefront of developing solutions that ensure a sustainable & resilient future. Our theme for this year "Earth Science for a resilient future" highlights the dynamic role that Earth scientists play in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time - climate change, natural resource management, and disaster mitigation.
Geomaterials play a vital role in nuclear waste management by acting as long-term natural and engineered barriers within deep geological repositories. Geomaterials ensure the safe isolation of radioactive waste from the biosphere over thousands to millions of years, making them essential to the long-term sustainability and safety of nuclear energy programs.
This talk by a passionate young Earth Science researcher, Dr. Rahul Sirvi, explores the promising nature of naturally occurring geomaterials for immobilization of radionuclides and how the unique physicochemical makeup of clay-rich argillaceous rocks can trap and immobilize cesium in different experimental conditions. By uncovering the unseen interactions happening on mineral surfaces, we can see why these rocks could be nature’s most powerful barrier for nuclear waste management applications.
The talk will discuss on actions being taken today for helping to protect our planet, by effective disposal of radioactive waste, emphasizing the contribution of Earth Science researchers in shaping a resilient future.
DR. RAHUL SIRVI
Dr. Rahul Sirvi is a young Geoscientist specializing in Geochemistry, sorption behavior of geomaterials, and radioactive waste management. He is currently working as a Guest Faculty at the Department of Geology, Govt. Motilal Vigyan Mahavidyalaya (MVM) College, Bhopal, contributing to both teaching and academic field training for postgraduate geology students.
He earned his Ph.D. from Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU), Gandhinagar, where he served as a Senior Research Fellow (BRNS–DAE, Government of India) on a prestigious funded project which focused on the sorption properties of natural shale for metal ions of nuclear importance, with relevance to Deep Geological Repositories (DGRs) for nuclear waste disposal.
Dr. Sirvi has authored research articles in reputed journals such as Progress in Nuclear Energy, Geosystem Engineering, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Current Analytical Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Science and the Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India.
Alongside research, he has contributed to the development and digitization of geoscience museums, and has established a strong academic, research, and fieldwork portfolio across geochemistry, mineralogy, hydrogeology, and geological mapping.
His long-term interest lies in developing geomaterial-based sustainable solutions for nuclear waste management and environmental remediation.
