Editing Flocculation (section)

=== Cheese industry ===
Flocculation is widely employed to measure the progress of [[curd]] formation in the initial stages of [[cheese]] making to determine how long the curds must set.<ref name="fox2" /> The reaction involving the [[rennet]] [[micelle]]s are modeled by [[Einstein relation (kinetic theory)|Smoluchowski kinetics]].<ref name="fox2">{{Cite book
|last = Fox |first = Patrick F. |title = Cheese Volume 1: Chemistry, Physics, and Microbiology |edition = 2nd |publisher = Aspen Publishers |year = 1999 |location = [[Gaithersburg, Maryland]]|pages = 144–150|isbn = 978-0-8342-1378-4}}</ref> During the renneting of milk the micelles can approach one another and flocculate, a process that involves [[hydrolysis]] of molecules and macropeptides.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Cheese - Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology|last = Fox|first = Patrick F.|publisher = Elsevier|year = 2004|isbn = 978-0-12-263653-0|pages = 72|edition = 3rd}}</ref>

Flocculation is also used during cheese [[wastewater treatment]]. Three different coagulants are mainly used:<ref>{{Cite journal |title = Treatment of Cheese Whey Wastewater: Combined Coagulation−Flocculation and Aerobic Biodegradation |journal = Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |date = 2010-07-14 |issn = 0021-8561 |pages = 7871–7877 |volume = 58 |issue = 13 |doi = 10.1021/jf100602j |first1 = Javier|last1 = Rivas |first2 = Ana R. |last2 = Prazeres |first3 = Fatima |last3 = Carvalho |first4 = Fernando |last4 = Beltrán |pmid=20557068 |bibcode = 2010JAFC...58.7871R |hdl=20.500.12207/540 |hdl-access = free}}</ref>
* FeSO<sub>4</sub> ([[iron(II) sulfate]])
* Al<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub> ([[aluminium sulfate]])
* FeCl<sub>3</sub> ([[iron(III) chloride]])