Using dessicants to dry fuel

[Simtech]

Through my work I have access to a LOT (5-10 lbs every two months) of indicating silica gel beads.  The beads are fairly large, about 5mm across - they're out of cannisters we use to keep the vent air for the 400 gal hydraulic oil reservoirs dry.  Because of the design of the cannister when the silica gel is used up or contaminated with hydraulic oil fog badly enough they're thrown out. 

I've already figured out how to clean the beads of the hydraulic oil film (a quick bath in acetone) and I know I can regenerate them easy enough, but can I use it to dry out gasoline/diesel/WMO or will the fuels dissolve the silica gel beads and contaminate my fuel.

I also posted this on the listeroid forum

[Frank S]

silica gel is used as a fluid cracking catalyst for the production of high octane gasoline it is inert and completely non chemically reactive there is a product on the market sold in truck stops for diesel these packets  contain some beads I have never cut one open but I suspect the beads were probably silica gel.
When in doubt if you have access to a child's chemistry set and a good digital scale or triple beam scale
take a sterilized beaker note its weight. fill it with a measured amount of gasoline log the weight. add 2cc of water log the weight.
drop in 100 grams of dry gel beads
log the weight seal the beaker to prevent evaporation
log observations at 1 to 4 hour intervals until the water content has noticeably changed
now strain the beads from the fluid into an identical sterilized beaker log the weight of the empty beaker the now filled beaker and the beads note all weights and compare
write up a white paper of your results
now you know without worries or you know if there had been any contamination of the gasoline from visual observations