Triage Lavoir Peronnes Lez Binche

The abandoned Lavoir of Peronnes was constructed in 1954 in a rural Valley of Wallonie in Belgium thanks to an American funding organisation which at the time was being introduced into various localised industries.

The site was closed down a jaw droppingly short period later in 1959, only 5 years after opening.

The plant was predominantly concrete built and used for the sorting and processing (often referred to as washing) out of coal extracted from various local mines.

This process uses decontaminants to enhance the quality of the coal and remove dangerous minerals so that the coal can be burnt safely.

The result of this conventional method of coal ‘washing’ produces an effluent that if leaked can cause a localised ecological contamination disaster.

(Sometimes the waste emitted from a washing plant can also contain acids or caustics which would kill off any wildlife it came into contact with).

To date there has been a decrease in this traditional method of coal washing since an alternative method called gasification has been more frequently utilised in the coal processing industry thanks to its greater efficiency output.