The production of cyanobacterial biofilm biomass and phycocyanin from Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors utilizing undiluted produced water from oil and natural gas extraction as a culture medium was investigated in this study. Produced water is the largest waste stream generated by the oil and natural gas industries and represents a large volume of non-potable water that may be available for algae culture with minimal impact on freshwater resources. Combining the use of produced wastewater as culture medium with the production of high value algal pigments, such as phycocyanin, may increase the economic viability of algae culture and wastewater purification. High value phycocyanin pigment production and methods to increase phycocyanin yields with light limitation were examined in this study. A unique cyanobacteria species was isolated from the Logan City Wastewater Treatment Facility in Logan, Utah and used in conjunction with the Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactor platform for the duration of this study. Between the “high” and “low” light treatments used in this study, the high light treatment showed nearly twice the biomass production as the low light culture (4.8±0.7 vs. 2.7±0.4 g/m2-day). The low light biomass contained 87.6% more of the phycocyanin pigment, with a 230% increase in purity, then the biomass from the high light treatment. The areal footprint productivity of phycocyanin per day was the same for both the light treatments. An evaluation of growth attachment materials was conducted with cotton rope and cotton conveyer cloth materials found to be the most durable and having the highest yields of harvestable biomass. The cotton rope and cotton conveyor cloth materials were evaluated on a floating Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactor operating in a 2000 L outdoor produced water pond. The cotton rope yielded a 140% increase in biomass vs. the cotton cloth although the compositions varied greatly. The cotton cloth biomass was composed of mainly healthy algae with higher phycocyanin yields while the cotton rope showed a higher proportion of non-algae organisms and little phycocyanin. These results show promise for the utilization of produced water to grow cyanobacteria biofilms with modifiable biomass characteristics as a source of high value phycocyanin pigments.

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Esta dissertação apresenta um estudo ergonômico sobre o trabalho de operadores de processo de plataformas marítimas de produção de petróleo. As primeiras investigações sobre as atuais práticas e produtos finais de projetos de sistemas produtivos de grande porte resultaram em indícios de um ambiente de produção com aspectos operacionais não equilibrados e desintegrados. A partir destes indícios, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica que destacou as considerações e limitações de aspectos relacionados à Ergonomia em assuntos como gestão de projetos, projetos de engenharia, de sistemas produtivos e de arranjo físico. A revisão relativa à Ergonomia destacou seus conceitos básicos, a Ergonomia de Concepção e estudos relacionados ao trabalho de operadores de produção contínua, tendo o objetivo de indicar possibilidades de atuações desta ciência em projetos de plantas produtivas. Desta forma, a pesquisa de campo desenvolvida procurou destacar aspectos operacionais como dificuldades e constrangimentos enfrentados pelos operadores. Tais aspectos foram investigados com o objetivo de ressaltar os desequilíbrios presentes nesta situação de trabalho e as estratégias desenvolvidas por estes operadores para manterem o funcionamento satisfatório da unidade produtiva, atendendo aos objetivos da organização empresarial em que se inserem. / This work presents the ergonomics study based on offshore oil production platforms, in operation works for the process plant. The first investigations resulted on indications of disintegrated and unbalanced operational aspects into the production environment. From those evidences, the bibliographical revision indicated the considerations and limits of aspects related to Ergonomics in subjects as design management, engineering design, productive systems and layout design. The revision of Ergonomics included basic concepts, Ergonomics of Conception, and studies related to the operator works of continuous production process, having the aim of indicating participation possibilities of this science in production plants design. In such a way, the developed research tried to raise operational aspects as difficulties and constraints daily faced by operators. Such aspects were investigated intending to stand out the disequilibriums in this situation of work and strategies developed by these operators to keep satisfactory performance of a productive unit, taking care of company goals where they are inserted.

Esta dissertação apresenta um estudo ergonômico sobre o trabalho de operadores de processo de plataformas marítimas de produção de petróleo. As primeiras investigações sobre as atuais práticas e produtos finais de projetos de sistemas produtivos de grande porte resultaram em indícios de um ambiente de produção com aspectos operacionais não equilibrados e desintegrados. A partir destes indícios, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica que destacou as considerações e limitações de aspectos relacionados à Ergonomia em assuntos como gestão de projetos, projetos de engenharia, de sistemas produtivos e de arranjo físico. A revisão relativa à Ergonomia destacou seus conceitos básicos, a Ergonomia de Concepção e estudos relacionados ao trabalho de operadores de produção contínua, tendo o objetivo de indicar possibilidades de atuações desta ciência em projetos de plantas produtivas. Desta forma, a pesquisa de campo desenvolvida procurou destacar aspectos operacionais como dificuldades e constrangimentos enfrentados pelos operadores. Tais aspectos foram investigados com o objetivo de ressaltar os desequilíbrios presentes nesta situação de trabalho e as estratégias desenvolvidas por estes operadores para manterem o funcionamento satisfatório da unidade produtiva, atendendo aos objetivos da organização empresarial em que se inserem. / This work presents the ergonomics study based on offshore oil production platforms, in operation works for the process plant. The first investigations resulted on indications of disintegrated and unbalanced operational aspects into the production environment. From those evidences, the bibliographical revision indicated the considerations and limits of aspects related to Ergonomics in subjects as design management, engineering design, productive systems and layout design. The revision of Ergonomics included basic concepts, Ergonomics of Conception, and studies related to the operator works of continuous production process, having the aim of indicating participation possibilities of this science in production plants design. In such a way, the developed research tried to raise operational aspects as difficulties and constraints daily faced by operators. Such aspects were investigated intending to stand out the disequilibriums in this situation of work and strategies developed by these operators to keep satisfactory performance of a productive unit, taking care of company goals where they are inserted.