Chemical Engineering Engineer

William Ciro, Ph.D.

Houston, TX ***** 281-***-**** ****.****@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/williamciro

SENIOR CHEMICAL ENGINEER

Manufacturing Combustion and Fired Equipment Chemical Process Modeling Air Pollution Control

Resourceful scientist and team leader with 14 years of experience in process management, air pollution control and continuous improvement projects for the manufacturing sector. Design advanced technological solutions which achieve corporate compliance objectives and save millions of dollars in operations costs. Dedicated to helping companies understand and adhere to legal constraints, consent decrees, and industry best practices. Expertise in wide range of industrial pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, dioxins and furans, mercury, heavy metals, particulate matter, hydrogen chloride, and hydrocarbons. Evaluate feasible technologies for carbon capture within the cement industry. Communicate easily with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Fluent in English and Spanish.

Technical Projects Combustion Equipment Fired Equipment Design Flares Thermal Oxidizers Fired Heaters Chemical Processes Continuous Improvement Health & Safety Air Pollution Control Equipment EPA Regulation, NESHAP & MSHA Compliance Renewable Fuels Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling CO2 Capture & Sequestration Troubleshooting Training & Mentoring Benchmark Tracking Vendor & Contractor Relations

Selected Achievements

Achieved $20M in savings in initial capital investment and $3M per year on operating cost by optimizing dry sorbent injection technology to reduce SO2/HCl over 90%. Planned, managed, and executed implementation of this technology.

Cut fuel costs by $3M-$5M each year by designing proper burners for renewable fuels, such as wood waste, biosolids, peanut shells, and tire derived fuels.

Destroyed more than 80% of total hydrocarbons and organic hazardous air pollutants at one cement plant by implementing the industry’s first catalytic filter system, which extended the permit to operate one more year.

Saved $3.3M per year at two cement plants by optimizing reagents for NOx emissions control.

Professional Experience

CEMEX, Inc. – Houston, TX 2005 –2019

Corporate Technical Manager, Chemical Processes

Led process optimization, air pollution control and sustainability projects at 14 cement manufacturing plants.

Managed project to design advanced technological solutions which met compliance goals while cutting costs, protecting consumers/staff, and minimizing ecological impact.

Analyzed complex cement kiln data to identify opportunities for improvement and then implemented solutions.

Created and followed up on action plans to implement solutions plant wide; set clear benchmarks to maximize success rate.

Calculated CO2 emissions for all 14 plants and prepared reports for state/federal agencies.

Collaborated with equipment vendors to align service objectives.

Earned President’s Award in 2016 for achieving compliance with NESHAP regulations.

Extended operation for two cement kilns through identification and implementation of raw material substitution, and installation of a catalytic filter which ensured compliance with total hydrocarbons.

Reduced operations costs by more than $1M annually by applying CFD modeling techniques to design, troubleshoot, and optimize cement plant operations.

Designed and implemented strategy for 14 plants to achieve compliance with EPA NESHAP requirements.

Achieved more than 30% fossil fuels substitution with renewable fuels (fired equipment).

Professional Experience - Continued

University of Utah, Institute for Combustion and Energy Studies – Salt Lake City, UT 1999 –2005

Postdoctoral Research Associate 01/2005 – 06/2005

Applied advanced scientific skills to develop a numerical model which accurately predicted simultaneous deposition of soot particles and condensation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons on a cylindrical container immersed in a pool fire.

Collaborated with engineering student and updated advisor on research progress.

Attended weekly technical meetings with other research staff to improve engineering methods.

Prepared report of scientific findings to communicate results to peers and mentors.

Research Assistant 10/1999 – 12/2004

Completed experimental study of thermal behavior of high-energy material container immersed in accidental fire.

Trained two undergraduate chemical engineering students in combustion experiments.

Designed and constructed a fire test facility to create a well-controlled pool fire.

Developed numerical models to evaluate soot deposition effects on heat transfer to a cylindrical container.

Wrote MATLAB code to demonstrate understanding of experimental observations.

Additional experience as a Research Assistant with the University of Antioquia.

Education

University of Utah – Salt Lake City, UT

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering

John Zink Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Combustion Engineering

University of Antioquia – Medellín, Colombia

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering

Best Accumulative Grade Point Average: 4.0/5.0 Index

Technical Skills

ANSYS, PI System, SEEQ, MATLAB, Fortran, SolidWorks, AutoCAD

Select Professional Training

CEMEX, Inc.

Legacy Safety Leader Modules I, II and III 2015, 2017, 2018 (respectively)

The Process Engineer Role in the Cement Industry 2006 – 2009

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Certification Training 2005 – 2018 (annually)

International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF)

Advances in Technology for Mercury, Trace Metals, and Fine Particulate Control 2006

American Flame Research Foundation (AFRF)

Experimental, Theoretical, and Computational Solution to Combustion Problems 2005, 2006

Professional Associations

Portland Cement Association, Member 2005 – Present

CFD Engineers Group, Member 2005 – Present

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