The shield machines are generally applied to metro tunnels, and gantry cranes are mostly used to lift the muck. When the depth of the station or vertical shaft is small, the construction efficiency of the shield machine will not be affected. But when the lifting height is large, the construction efficiency of the shield machine will be severely restricted. The highangle belt conveyor has the advantage of continuous and efficient muck lifting. The muck produced by the EPB shield is relatively large in viscosity and high in water content, and the problem of cleaning the belt is prominent, which affects the normal operation of the equipment. In this paper, the working principle, application scope and problems of the existing three kinds of belt lifters, i.e. the corrugated sidewall belt conveyor, bucket belt conveyor and sandwich belt conveyor, as well as the problems existing in the lifting of construction muck of EPB shield are summarized, and the characteristics of construction muck of EPB shield and its requirements for highangle belt conveyor are analyzed. A composite highangle belt conveyor is developed and applied, which combines with traction belt conveyor and support belt conveyor. The research results show that the separable composite belt, sweeper and cleaning box technology, and matrix highpressure water spraying technology are used to clean the belt, which can effectively prevent the belt from slag leakage and slag drop. The technology can improve the construction efficiency and equipment reliability, and is worth popularizing.