Microwave processingMicrowave processing is regarded as an environmentally friendly technique, especially in pyrometallurgyPyrometallurgy. It has been applied in various areas, including nanoparticle synthesis, recovery of metals from industrial waste, and pre-treatment of iron oreIron ore. Specifically, microwaveMicrowave pre-treatment of low-grade magnetite can improve the reducibility of the iron oreIron ore by hydrogen gas, potentially leading to a reduction in CO2 emissionsCO emission. From the microscopic analysis, it was found that the increased surface area of the magnetite by microwave irradiationMicrowave irradiation would accelerate the reduction rate. The reduction rate of the magnetite ore by CO gas increased from 0.185 to 0.767%/min after microwave irradiationMicrowave irradiation. To achieve a cold strength that can be handled in the ironmaking furnace (blast furnaces or shaft furnaces), microwave sinteringMicrowave sintering should be carried out at 1200 °C or above, which can be reduced by increasing the compacting pressure of the briquettes. Due to the endothermic nature of iron oreIron ore reduction by hydrogen gas, the microwaveMicrowave pre-treatment can be considered an auxiliary process to balance heat supply and demand in the hydrogen ironmakingHydrogen ironmaking process. For the mass production, a high-power microwaveMicrowave furnace module is proposed.