Interesting! So, if I understand correctly, the sugar/salt ratio controls the direction of osmosis?

I've never looked at it from that angle, which is (I guess) a mimic of the biological process.

Rather, I've seen it from the angle of "controlled pressure applied to a membrane" that forces osmosis to the lower-mineral-concentration side. This is the most common industrial application -- from bottled water production to boiler feedwater for power generation stations.

Regarding the product itself, though, I doubt this process could produce a fraction of the drinking water that a pump/membrane system could provide.