Calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA) is a type of low-CO₂ binder which has been widely applied in the production of concrete. To investigate the protection capability offered by CSA to keep steel from corrosion, the pore solution chemistry of CSA on steel passivation was investigated in this study. The pore solution of CSA pastes, extracted by an ex situ leaching method, was studied and compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The results show that the alkalinity of the CSA pore solution is not only much lower than that of OPC, but also that a new type of ion, Al(OH)₄⁻, and high concentration of SO₄²⁻ were detected in the liquid phase of CSA. Based on pore solution chemistry analysis, a simulated pore solution (SPS) system was designed to assess the comprehensive impact of alkalinity and ion composition, featured as properties of CSA, on steel passivation. The results of the corrosion potential evolution highlight the importance of alkalinity in passivation. SO₄²⁻ can cause depassivation when there is not enough hydroxyl, but Al(OH)₄⁻ is able to maintain the alkalinity of the system, enhancing the stability of the passive film.

The enhancement of the durability of sulfoaluminate cement (CSA) in marine environments is of great importance. To this end, an investigation was carried out involving the placement of CSA concrete in the tidal zone of Zhairuoshan Island, Zhoushan, China, and subjected to a 20-month marine tidal exposure test. The comparison was made with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete to evaluate the effectiveness of the former. The test findings indicate that the compressive strength of both types of concrete is reduced by seawater dry-wet cycling, and the porosity of the surface concrete is increased. However, the compressive strength of CSA concrete is observed to be more stable under long-term drying–wetting cycles. When the ettringite in the CSA surface concrete is decomposed due to carbonization and alkalinity reduction, its products will react with Ca²⁺ and SO₄²⁻ in seawater to regenerate ettringite to fill in the concrete pores, making the concrete strength more stable and hindering chlorine penetration. Furthermore, CSA concrete exhibits a higher capillary absorption capacity than OPC concrete, which results in chloride accumulation on its surface. However, the diffusion capacity of chloride in CSA concrete is significantly lower than that in OPC concrete.