Enhanced solvent deasphalting process for heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks utilizing solid adsorbent

A solvent deasphalting process comprising:

• a. introducing a hydrocarbon oil feedstock containing asphaltenes into a mixing vessel with a paraffinic solvent and a solid adsorbent material selected from the group consisting of attapulgus clay, alumina, silica activated carbon and zeolite catalyst materials;
• b. mixing the solid asphaltenes formed in the paraffinic solvent phase with the adsorbent material for a time sufficient to adsorb sulfur- and nitrogen-containing polynuclear aromatic molecules on the adsorbent material;
• c. separating the solid phase comprising asphaltenes and adsorbent from the oil/solvent mixture;
• d. passing the oil/solvent mixture to a separation vessel to separate the deasphalted oil and paraffinic solvent and recovering the solvent for recycling to the mixing vessel;
• e. passing the asphalt/adsorbent mixture to a filtration vessel with an aromatic or polar solvent to desorb the adsorbed compounds and to recover the solid asphalt phase;
• and
• f. passing the aromatic or polar solvent mixture to a fractionator to recover the solvent.