Technical Requirements for Building Waste Sorting System Equipment

In-depth Interpretation and Implementation Guide of GB/T 47068-2026 Standard

The national standard GB/T 47068-2026 "Technical Requirements for Equipment of Construction Waste Sorting Systems" was officially released and implemented in 2026, marking a new stage of standardized and refined development for my country's construction waste resource utilization equipment technology. As a core equipment standard in the field of construction waste treatment, this document systematically specifies the technical requirements, safety and environmental protection, installation, commissioning, and performance testing of sorting system equipment, and is of great significance for promoting technological progress and industrial upgrading in the industry.

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I. Background of Standard Formulation and Analysis of Technological Evolution

With the acceleration of urbanization and the continuous development of infrastructure construction in my country, the amount of construction waste generated has been increasing year by year. Traditional landfill disposal methods not only occupy a large amount of land resources but also cause serious environmental pollution and resource waste. Against this background, the resource utilization of construction waste has become a key way to solve this problem.

However, construction waste is complex, containing various materials such as waste concrete, bricks, metals, wood, and plastics. Efficient sorting is a prerequisite for achieving high-value utilization. This standard is based on the following technological evolution: **Diversified Development of Sorting Technologies:** From early simple manual sorting, it has evolved to a combination of physical sorting technologies such as mechanical screening, air separation, water separation, and magnetic separation. In recent years, intelligent sorting technologies based on image recognition have emerged. **Trend of Equipment Integration:** Single equipment can no longer meet complex sorting needs; systematic and integrated sorting production lines have become mainstream, urgently requiring unified technical specifications. **Increasing Quality Requirements for Recycled Aggregates:** With the widespread application of recycled aggregates in concrete, mortar, road engineering, and other fields, higher requirements are placed on aggregate purity, driving the development of sorting technology towards refinement. Environmental protection and energy efficiency requirements are becoming increasingly stringent: Under the "dual carbon" target, the energy-saving, noise control, and dust control performance of sorting equipment have become important assessment indicators. This standard integrates the latest technological achievements and practical experience in the field of construction waste sorting in recent years, and refers to related standards such as GB/T 44200-2024, forming a complete system of technical requirements. II. Composition of Sorting System and Analysis of Core Equipment Technology Chapter 4 of the standard clarifies the basic composition of the construction waste sorting system. The system should ideally consist of soil removal equipment, lightweight material sorting equipment, manual sorting tables, intelligent brick-concrete sorting equipment, and iron removal equipment, forming a multi-stage sorting process chain.

2.1 System Basic Parameter Framework

Standard Table 1 specifies the core performance parameters of the sorting system, providing a quantitative basis for equipment design and selection:

Performance Indicators	Sorting Objects	Equipment Type	Technical Requirements	Technical Significance
Sorting Efficiency	Slag	Soil Removal Equipment	≥80%	Ensure Basic Cleanliness of Aggregates
	Light Materials	Bouncing Screen	≥80%	Separation based on density difference
		Air classifier	≥80%	Utilizing aerodynamic characteristics
		Water flotation	≥90%	Utilizing buoyancy difference, highest efficiency
	Brick and concrete	Intelligent brick and concrete sorting equipment	≥95%	Ensuring the purity of recycled aggregate
System processing capacity	Overall system		50-500 t/h	Covering small, medium, and large processing scales

2.2 Key Equipment Technical Points

Light Material Sorting Equipment Multiple options are available based on material characteristics and processing requirements:

• Bounce Screen: Suitable for construction waste, it separates light materials by causing the screen plate to float through vibration. The screen plate angle is adjustable from 14° to 18°, the working frequency is adjustable, and it adopts a closed structure to prevent dust.
• Air Separation Equipment: Includes three types: box type, folding plate type, and drum type. Standards require the fan to use a variable frequency motor to achieve precise adjustment of air pressure and air volume, the casing to be sealed to prevent leakage, and the internal contact parts to be wear-resistant. Box-type air separators emphasize a circulating air utilization rate of not less than 70% to improve energy efficiency.
• Water Flotation Equipment: The highest sorting efficiency (≥90%), but water consumption needs to be controlled.
  The standard requires a water consumption of <0.1-0.15 m³/t and the configuration of a self-cleaning device to prevent siltation. The intelligent brick-concrete sorting equipment represents the intelligent direction of sorting technology: The identification device must have dual recognition functions of geometric shape and color, with an image resolution ≥24 DPI and a color depth ≥24 Bit. The recognition speed is >1000 frames/s, and the recognition accuracy is ±2mm, meeting the requirements of high-speed and high-precision sorting. The pulse jet system's air valve frequency is ≥300Hz, and the pressure is ≥0.6MPa, ensuring fast and accurate sorting. The iron removal equipment requires a self-unloading iron remover with a magnetic induction intensity ≥90mT, adjustable height and angle, and the first iron removal belt must be armored.

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  III. Comparative Analysis of Quality Control Standards for Recycled Aggregates

  Standard 5.2.2 and Table 2 specify the impurity content limits for recycled aggregates after sorting system processing. This is the core indicator for evaluating the sorting effect:

  Lightweight Material Content: ≤1.0% GB/T 25176 High Requirements Recycled Coarse Aggregate for Block and Brick Preparation Impurity Content: ≤2.0% JGJ/T 240 Medium Requirements Recycled Graded Inorganic Mixture (>4.75mm) Impurity Content: ≤0.5% (Class I) JC/T 2281 Highest Requirements

  Uses of Recycled Aggregates	Control Items	Content Limits (Mass Fraction)	Test Method Standards	Quality Control Level
  Recycled Coarse Aggregate for Concrete	Impurity Content	≤1.0%	GB/T 25177	High Requirements
  Recycled Fine Aggregate for Concrete and Mortar	≤1.0% (Class II)	High Requirements

  As can be seen from the table, there are significant differences in the requirements for impurity content of recycled aggregates for different uses:

  1. Strictest requirements for structural concrete applications: The impurity content of recycled aggregates used in concrete is ≤1.0%, because impurities affect the strength, durability, and workability of concrete.
  2. Relatively lenient requirements for finished product applications: Aggregates used to prepare blocks and bricks are allowed to have an impurity content of ≤2.0%, which is related to the relatively lower performance requirements of finished products.
  3. Road engineering graded control: Recycled graded inorganic mixtures are divided into Class I and Class II, corresponding to impurity contents of ≤0.5% and ≤1.0% respectively, to meet the construction needs of different grades of roads.

  These limit standards are based on extensive experimental research and engineering practice, balancing the feasibility of sorting technology with the quality requirements of the final product.

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  IV. Safety, Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Technical Requirements

  4.1 Safety Protection System

  Chapter 6 of the standard establishes a comprehensive safety protection system:

  • Mechanical Safety: Exposed rotating parts are painted with safety colors; exposed transmission devices are equipped with protective devices with gaps ≤10mm; emergency stop devices, safety interlocks, and measures to prevent accidental starting are installed.
  • Electrical Safety: Electrical equipment complies with standards such as GB/T 5226.1; high-voltage control cabinets comply with GB/T 11022; lightning protection design complies with GB 50057.
  • Operational Safety: The belt speed of the manual sorting table is ≤0.4m/s, with anti-slip function; each workstation is equipped with an emergency braking device; steel platforms and steel ladders comply with GB 4053 requirements.
    4.2 Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Requirements In terms of environmental protection, the standard embodies the concept of whole-process control: Noise Control: System noise complies with GB/T 50087, reducing equipment operating noise at the source. Dust Control: Air separation equipment is equipped with a dust removal system, and dust emissions comply with GB 4915; dust suppression measures are taken in dust-generating areas; dust collection interfaces are provided in the hoppers of soil removal equipment. Water Recycling: Water used in wet process production is recycled, and the water consumption per ton of water flotation equipment is strictly controlled. Waste Management: Separated waste is stored separately and comprehensively utilized to avoid secondary pollution.

    Energy efficiency requirements are a highlight of this standard:

    • Energy efficiency rating of motors meets Level 2 of GB 18613-2020 (equivalent to IE3 high-efficiency motor)
    • Energy efficiency rating of fans meets Level 2 of GB 19761-2020
    • Circulating air utilization rate of box-type air separators ≥70%
    • Fans generally adopt variable frequency motors to achieve on-demand adjustment and reduce energy consumption

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    V. Installation, Commissioning and Performance Testing Specifications

    5.1 Systematic Commissioning Process

    Chapter 7 of the standard specifies a rigorous installation and commissioning procedure, forming a three-level commissioning system:

    Commissioning Stage	Prerequisites	Main Content	Time Requirements	Qualification Standards
    Single Unit No-Load Test	Installation Acceptance Passed	Equipment Start-up and Shutdown, Safety Interlocks, Bearing Temperature Rise, System Sealing	According to Equipment Standards	Bearing Temperature Rise ≤ 30K, No Leakage
    Interlocked No-Load Test	Single Unit Test Passed	System Coordination, Action Sequence	≥2 Hours	All Systems Normal, Correct Sequence
    Interlocked Load Test	Interlocked No-Load Passed	Feeding Operation, Load Increase, Performance Testing	≥4 Hours	Stable operation, performance meets standards

    5.2 Scientific Performance Testing

    Chapter 8 of the standard establishes a complete performance testing system:

    • Test conditions: The system is tested after 48 hours of stable operation. The raw material is pre-treated construction waste, and the instruments and equipment are calibrated.
    • Test requirements: Test time ≥ 2 hours, number of repetitions ≥ 3 times, to ensure data reliability.
    • Test content: Includes system processing capacity (according to Appendix A of GB/T 44200-2024), sorting efficiency (according to Appendix B), and impurity content of recycled aggregate (according to the corresponding method in Table 8).

    This testing method ensures the scientific nature and comparability of the test results, and avoids redundant regulations by referencing existing standard methods.

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    VI. Recommendations for Standard Implementation and Industry Impact

    6.1 Recommendations for Equipment Manufacturing Enterprises

    1. Technology Upgrading Direction: Focus on developing high-efficiency and energy-saving sorting equipment, such as high-efficiency variable frequency air classifiers, low-water-consumption flotation equipment, and high-precision intelligent sorting systems.
    2. System Integration Capability: Strengthen the matching and optimization of various sorting equipment to form an efficient and collaborative sorting process chain, rather than simply piling up equipment.
    3. Intelligent Development: Increase R&D investment in intelligent equipment such as intelligent brick-concrete sorting equipment to improve image recognition accuracy and sorting speed.
    4. Energy Efficiency Improvement: Fully adopt high-efficiency motors and fans, optimize equipment structure to reduce energy consumption, and meet the energy efficiency level requirements in the standard.
    6.2 Recommendations for Operating Companies Equipment Selection Basis: Select sorting equipment based on this standard, focusing on sorting efficiency, energy consumption, and safety and environmental performance. Process Optimization: Select appropriate combinations of lightweight material sorting equipment according to the characteristics of the raw materials (e.g., construction waste, demolition waste). Operation and Maintenance: Establish a standard-based equipment maintenance and performance testing system, regularly test sorting efficiency, and ensure stable quality of recycled aggregates. Data Management: Utilize the online metering and parameter setting functions of the control system to achieve refined operation management. 6.3 Recommendations for Industry Supervision Establishment: Establish a product certification system for construction waste sorting equipment based on this standard to promote the application of high-quality equipment. Project Acceptance Standards: The requirements of this standard will be incorporated into the acceptance and assessment system for construction waste recycling projects. Technology Promotion: Standard dissemination and technical training will be organized to improve the overall technical level of the industry. 6.4 Expected Impacts of Standard Implementation The implementation of GB/T 47068-2026 is expected to have the following positive impacts: Improved Equipment Technology: Unified technical requirements will promote technological upgrading of equipment manufacturing enterprises and eliminate outdated production capacity. Guaranteed Recycled Aggregate Quality: Strict sorting efficiency and quality control requirements will improve the quality of recycled aggregates and expand their application scope. Promoting Standardized Industry Development: Provides unified technical basis for design, manufacturing, acceptance, and operation, reducing technical disputes.
    5. Promoting the Process of Resource Utilization: The widespread application of efficient sorting equipment will improve the resource utilization rate of construction waste and contribute to the construction of "zero-waste cities".
    6. Supporting the Achievement of Dual Carbon Goals: Energy efficiency and environmental protection requirements will drive the industry's green and low-carbon transformation.

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  VII. Conclusion

  GB/T 47068-2026 "Technical Requirements for Equipment of Construction Waste Sorting Systems" is an important standard in my country's field of construction waste resource utilization. It systematically integrates the latest achievements in current sorting technology and establishes a complete technical requirements system.

  The implementation of this standard will have a profound impact on all aspects of equipment manufacturing, project operation, and industry supervision, driving the development of construction waste sorting technology towards high efficiency, intelligence, and green practices. With the widespread application of the standard, it is expected that the overall technical level of construction waste sorting equipment in China will be significantly improved, the quality of recycled aggregates will be more stable and reliable, and the economic and environmental benefits of construction waste resource utilization will be further highlighted. All relevant parties should thoroughly study and understand the requirements of the standard and implement them in their practical work to jointly promote the high-quality development of the construction waste resource utilization industry. It should be noted that technical standards are time-sensitive; as sorting technology continues to advance, the standard will be revised and updated in a timely manner. Industry practitioners should maintain their attention to new technologies and processes and contribute to the continuous improvement of the standard.