Method and apparatus for separation of canned goods and reclaiming useful food values therefrom

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Food contents are separated from ferrous metal cans for conversion into useful byproducts by lacerating the can bodies into strips of metal to expose their contents, advancing along a vibrating conveyor section through a liquid spray, followed by magnetic separation to remove the metal strips and separately collect the food contents and metal strips for recycling. In order to convert the food contents into animal feed, the contents are first dried to reduce their moisture leve either by mechanical dehydration or by the addition of bulking agents and then advanced through an extruder section to convert the food contents into dry particle form.