William Sircy

General Manager, Processing, Cerro Verde

Freeport-McMoRan

2019 Medal of Merit Under 40 Recipient

William Sircy earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Arizona.  While in University, Sircy worked as a summer intern at Freeport-McMoRan’s Hydrometallurgical facility in Morenci, becoming the 5th generation of his family to work at Morenci.  Upon graduation he was hired as a FMI plant metallurgist in the Bagdad SXEW facility where he helped commission the Concentrate Leach Demonstration Plant and worked with industry experts and helped in the development of the first stable commercial alternative anodes for the electrowinning of copper in a sulfate solution.

In 2005, Sircy moved back to Morenci as a Quality Analyst. Over the next 4 years he held a variety of positions and authored a paper, “Morenci Hydrometallurgical Process Improvements – Application of Six Sigma in Process Improvements” which he presented at the 2007 6th International Conference of Metallurgists CU. Sircy is also co-inventor on a FMI patent that describes a method to minimize solvent extraction interfacial shear and reduce organic entrainment.

Sircy transferred to Safford in 2009 as the SXEW Superintendent where he successfully led the design, installation and operation of a solvent extraction mix box capable of withstanding high internal forces. 2011 found Sircy back in Morenci as the Crushing and Conveying Manager.  He oversaw the increase in primary crusher throughput from 119,000 tons per day to almost 200,000 and was instrumental in the design of the SW Mine for Leach (MFL) crushed leach stockpile which replaced the Stargo MFL system.

His next stop was in South America where he spent a little over 2 years in Chile at the El Abra operation as the Processing Manager and most recently in Peru at Cerro Verde. Sircy currently serves as the General Manager Processing.

Sircy speaks Spanish and is a member of SME.

Sircy and his wife Nicole have 3 children ages 4, 9, and 16.  Outside of work Sircy is passionate about cars, golf, photography, and travel.

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