Cascade laser backed for real-time nitrogen sensing in wastewater 03 Mar 2021 E. coli may follow. Texas-based photonics company Max-IR Labs has won $750,000 in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding to develop a prototype nitrogen sensor based around a quantum cascade laser (QCL) source. The Dallas firm says that the âPhase IIâ grant - awarded via the US National Science Foundation - will also support initial field tests of the device, which promises to reduce the energy costs associated with a critical wastewater treatment step by 20Â per cent or more. Using Max-IRâs proprietary âIon Selective Materials using Infrared Radiationâ (ISMIR) technique, the novel approach should be able to monitor pollutants like nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia in real time.