A belt conveyor and a crushing unit includes a conveying upper run presenting a feed end and a discharge end, and a return lower run, with the conveying upper end including a curved extension, which is concave and ascending and presents an inlet lower portion and an outlet upper portion of the conveying upper run, where the belt conveyor imparts to the material a path that is substantially coplanar and opposite in relation to that imparted to the material in the inlet portion, and with ascending curved path presenting at a determined belt speed, a centrifugal force sufficient to maintain the material seated against the curved extension of the conveying upper run until reaching the discharge end.