BOULDER - Water-treatment company New Sky Energy LLC has partnered with a water-treatment company in Texas to clean industrial and agricultural wastewater.

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed between Boulder-based New Sky and 212 Resources Corp. in Houston.

New Sky Energy plans to hire 10 to 15 new employees in the next year in Colorado, California and Texas as a result of the partnership, said Deane Little, chief executive officer and founder. The company currently has seven employees spread among offices in Boulder and in Austin, Texas.

"It made sense for us to work with another high-profile, very promising technology that is complementary," Little said.

New Sky Energy uses a process that separates chemicals out of a "brine stream" that comes from industrial wastewater, Little said, adding that 212 Resources uses a distillation method to produce clean water and the brine stream.

New Sky can use 212 Resources' technology to "make projects much more profitable" for customers, Little said. The process is expected to save 45 percent to 60 percent in chemical supply and brine disposal costs for industrial customers, according to a press statement.

New Sky Energy and 212 Resources are negotiating with potential oil and gas company customers in Texas, Little said, declining to give specific names.

Chemicals separated from industrial wastewater by New Sky include hydrochloric acid, which is used in oil and gas production and other industrial applications; sodium hypochloride, or bleach; sodium hydroxide, or lye; and sodium carbonate, or ash, Little said.

Private equity firm North Shore Energy LLC in Denver invested in both companies, Little said. The two also were both selected as top companies in a recent global water competition.