The depletion of phosphate rock reserves has led to the search for new, alternative and environmentally friendly products and processes. One of the safe and environmentally friendly sources of phosphate is animal bone char (ABC), the residue from the pyrolysis of meat and bone meal (MBM), a slaughterhouse waste material. The presented study investigated the physico-chemical properties of the residues (ABC) obtained from the pyrolysis of MBM under different treatment conditions. Two different end temperatures (600 °C and 1000 °C) and five different heating rates (5 °C min-1, 10 °C min-1, 20 °C min-1, 50 °C min-1 and 100 °C min-1) were used. The ABC samples obtained were characterised by X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectroscopy, elemental CHNS analysis and SEM/EDS analysis. The results showed the strong influence of both the pyrolysis end temperature and the heating rate on the morphology and chemical composition of the final products.