Valorization of Spent Coffee Grounds as a Substrate for Fungal Laccase Production and Biosorbents for Textile Dye Decolorization
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsAbstract: indicate the meaning of FTIR and SEM
line 92: indicate the refrigeration temperature and period that strains were preserved in this environment
line 96: specify how the SCG were assumed to be completed dehydrated (mass average loss?)
line 97-98: specify where the dehydrated SCG were kept at 28ºC (controlled temperature chambes?), for how long and the standard deviation of this temperature
line 102: indicate the equipment used throughout the incubation period
line 107: indicate the granulometry distribution (% of each sieve between 0.045 and 1.0 mm) and how the granulometry was acquired
line 110: replace Cardoso et al. (2018) with the correct citation manner
line 144: please add more details regarding the washing and lyophilization procedures
line 187: check if the temperature should be -4ºC
line 196: indicate the filtration material and its mesh
line 247: please move lines 264-265 to line 247 (cite Table 3 prior to its presentation)
lines 323-328: phrase duplicated. remove it.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors did a good work from an experimental point of view, and I recommend the article for publication after some major revisions.
More specific:
- Certain phrases in the abstract and conclusion could benefit from refinement. For instance, “post-fermentation SCG and residual biomass” should be more clearly distinguished to avoid interpretive ambiguity regarding the origin and identity of each material.
- Please indicate whether the biosorbents were tested for reusability or regeneration potential over multiple adsorption–desorption cycles.
- Was any comparative evaluation performed between unfermented and fermented SCG with respect to dye adsorption capacity?
- Are the laccase isoforms produced by Lentinus crinitus and Trametes species functionally distinct or structurally characterized?
- Additional information on the experimental scale would be useful. Are there technical or economic constraints foreseen in upscaling the fermentation and biosorbent production process to pilot or industrial levels?
- The manuscript currently cites 71 references, which exceeds the norm for a primary research article. Consolidation to approximately 35–40 key citations is recommended to maintain conciseness and readability.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper has been revised according to the suggestions and criticisms of the reviewers. In this revised version, the paper has improved its quality and I recommend the article for publication.
Author Response
Comments 1: [The paper has been revised according to the suggestions and criticisms of the reviewers. In this revised version, the paper has improved its quality and I recommend the article for publication.]
Response 1: [We thank you very much constructive feedback which greatly contributed to improving the clarity and scientific rigor of our manuscript.]