Sludge Treatment Wetland for Treating Microalgae Digestate Grown in Agricultural Runoff: A Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Manuscript water-2342404 entitled “Sludge Treatment Wetland for Treating Microalgae Digestate Grown in Agricultural Runoff: A Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment”.

Please notice the following:

General view: The manuscript illustrated a great idea to use of  wetland systems for sewage sludge preparation to agriculture. The topic is very interesting.This problem is relevant for journal scope. 

The Autors expressed their idea in moderate language and grammar. The manuscript might require copyediting and proofreading up to a little degree to provide more simplified sentences.

The introduction is easy detailed. The concept and aim are clearly defined.  The presentation and discussion of the presented topicis clear and very detailed.

Suggests supplementing the "Introduction" with information bringing a new scientific contribution. Please provide a review of the literature in this area.The text can be supplemented with information on new unconventional fertilizers.

To raise the level of paper, please use the articles on fertilizers:

doi: 10.3390/en16041747

doi: 10.3390/agriculture11111121

In general, the paper is well written, the results are conclusive and of interest for this topic. I have not found any important formal mistakes or typo errors. Formally, the paper is well written and easy to understand.

Please cite more papers from MDPI journals at the last 2-3 years in the similar topic of this research.

Other weaknesses to be corrected:

1. Keywords should be in alphabetical order.

2. Correct indexes in units

3. Please make a list of abbreviations at the end of the manuscript

The manuscript follows the formal regulations of MDPI journals.

I suggest the acceptance after minor revision

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Great and interesting novel studies.

Author Response

Thank you very much for the revision

Reviewer 3 Report

The topic of the paper, namely “Sludge Treatment Wetland for Treating Microalgae Diges-2 tate Grown in Agricultural Runoff: A Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment” in this study provides a clear overview of the issue at hand, namely the management and disposal of wastewater treatment sludge, which can be costly and resource-intensive. The use of Sludge Treatment Wetlands (STWs) as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative is highlighted, specifically in terms of enhancing sludge quality through dewatering and biodegradation. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a full-scale STW in stabilizing and dewatering digested microalgal biomass from a domestic and agricultural wastewater treatment system. The duration of the study is mentioned, stating that the properties of the treated digestate were assessed after 35 weeks of operation and a resting period of 4 weeks. This research work is attractive to the reader. I would like to recommend this manuscript for publication in this journal.

 

 

1.        Please improve the discussion section and revise the whole manuscript carefully. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf