Dewatering agents and methods of dewatering wastewater slurries are provided. Also disclosed are methods for improving the separation of solids from water. The water may be produced water, raw water, or wastewater, for example. The dewatering agents can be in solutions and the dewatering agent solutions may include flocculants, soy based components, and surfactants. The soy based components can include, for example, soy flour and soy protein.