FMC of Canada Limited is celebrating the production of its billionth pound of hydrogen peroxide this week and is marking the milestone by creating the first awards for students interested in pursuing Environmental Engineering at UNBC.

The billionth pound of hydrogen peroxide will be bottled and FMC
will make a $10,000 contribution to UNBC's President Charles Jago.
The presentation will take place at 3pm this afternoon at the FMC plant.

FMC of Canada Limited has been operating in Prince George since 1990, producing hydrogen peroxide primarily for use as a raw material in pulp and paper production, mining, environmental treatment, and chemical manufacturing. The Prince George location employs 48 highly skilled people and is part of FMC Corporation, a major manufacturer of chemicals and chemical products worldwide.

Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly chemical manufactured in a five-step chemical synthesis process. While the underlying chemistry of the process is complex, the process itself is relatively simple. The manufacturing process involves only water, hydrogen and air as its primary raw materials. Hydrogen is reacted with the oxygen (air), which is then dissolved in water to produce a hydrogen peroxide solution. This solution is used in many applications, including bleaching pulp, oxidizing metals, destruction of pollutants, and chemical synthesis. FMC is a member of the Canadian Chemical Producers' Association, fully committed to Responsible Care, and is ISO 14001 and ISO 9002 accredited, demonstrating the company's commitment to the environment and product quality.

"As a science-based company concerned about the environment, it was a natural for us to mark our billionth pound of production by creating students awards for Environmental Engineering," says Glenn Gourley, Plant Manager. "We will be providing a $2000 entrance award each year for the next five years. This support will help students begin their studies in this rapidly growing and critically important discipline."

The Environmental Engineering program is the result of a partnership between UNBC and UBC, with students accessing each university's respective strengths in environmental science and engineering. The program is unique in western Canada and provides students with a hands-on education, providing training in such areas as water, air, soil pollution control and remediation, solid waste management, mine waste disposal, and geo-environmental issues.