The aim of the present thesis was to investigate possibilities of a more economical and more ecological way of the pre-treatment of magnesium ingots for secondary metallurgy. Therefore experiments were done with off-gas which is generated by the smelting process. Of special interest was, if these gases could be used for the pre-heating of the ingots without influencing the following melting process. For further economizing the process and utilizing the heat of the off-gas for other purposes the possibility of drying the ingots sufficiently for the smelting process by short-time evacuation was tested. The experiments provided satisfying results for both tasks. Pre-heating with off-gas caused no negative effects on the metal surface. Due to safety reasons it is strongly recommended to prefer indirect pre-heating. Experiments under vacuum showed that 90 % of surface water can be removed within the first minute by evacuation to < 100 mbar. However, capillary water which can amount to a considerable part couldn’t be eliminated even after several minutes of evacuation.