Process for deasphalting and demetalating crude petroleum or its fractions

A process for deasphalting and demetallizing crude petroleum, or a fraction thereof, containing asphaltenes and metals, said process consisting essentially of

• a) contacting said crude or its fraction with a deasphalting agent consisting of an organic carbonate selected from the group consisting of dialkyl carbonates definable by the formula:
• ##STR3## where R and R', which can be the same or different, represent a C1-C3 alkyl radical, and cyclic carbonates definable by the formula:
• ##STR4## where R" represents hydrogen or methyl to form a crude/carbonate combination;
• b) raising the temperature of the crude/carbonate combination to form a homogeneous liquid phase;
• c) maintaining the homogeneous liquid phase for a time sufficient to form a precipitate comprised of a solid residue rich in asphaltenes and asphaltenic metals;
• d) separating said solid residue from the homogeneous liquid phase under conditions which maintain the homogeneous liquid phase;
• and
• e) cooling the homogeneous liquid phase recovered in step d) to induce separation of the homogeneous liquid phase into a refined liquid phase and an extracted liquid phase.