Gaza-Watan-Ahmed Al-Shanbari: In a small laboratory that barely contains what the researcher needs in his work, he succeeded by moving between the corridors of the place to come up with a new technology through which water can be treated and purified through the use of plant seeds.

The "blue filter" is the name of the project launched by the researcher in the field of environment and water, Salah Al-Sadi, after he discovered the water problem in Gaza and the high concentration of nitrates in it. With his continuous efforts, he was able to succeed with local capabilities.

Salah Al-Sadi says about the idea of ​​the project, "The idea of ​​the Blue Filter project came through my master's studies at Al-Azhar University, where I found during the study that the Gaza Strip suffers from a high concentration of nitrates in the water, and from here I started searching for an alternative for water treatment."

Al-Sadi explained that previous studies and research in water treatment are very expensive and not available in the Gaza Strip, where research began to treat water in an environmentally friendly manner and the trend was to use plant seeds, and then select certain seeds of plants that are economically feasible and inexpensive.

During a year of research and diligence, Al-Sadi succeeded in reaching the use of certain seeds that achieved high success in water treatment, explaining that some agricultural wells in Gaza had nitrate concentrations of 600 mg, exceeding international levels, and thus cause the spread of many diseases.

Regarding the water treatment mechanism, Salah says, "The seeds of plants work like magnets, as these seeds pick up polluting substances in the water by placing them in special filters, and then a water test is done through a special device to ensure that the nitrate percentage has reached a satisfactory degree and conforms to the standards. Then the filters will be removed.

Al-Sadi indicated that the importance of the project lies in treating water in an environmentally friendly manner, with low economic feasibility, in addition to providing large quantities of water to irrigate plants, especially since water purification does not affect its quantity.

The researcher Al-Sadi confirmed the praise of specialized experts for his idea through research conducted at the local and international levels in the field of water treatment through the use of plant seeds, where the experts recommended the need to work on improving and developing it.

Salah believes that the cost of examinations and samples is very expensive, which is one of the most prominent difficulties he faced, in addition to the inability to own devices and equipment for research, aspiring to establish a central laboratory that takes care of all researchers and adopts their ideas and works to develop them.