A process for recovering metals from bituminous mixtures consisting of - Solid components not soluble in tetrahydrofuran - Metallic species - Carbonaceous residues - Liquid components soluble in tetrahydrofuran - Hydrocarbons with a boiling point higher than 170°C - Asphaltenes - Sulphur-containing organic species - Nitrogen-containing organic species by means of a treatment section characterized in that it comprises the following steps: • sending said stream to an extraction by mixing said stream with a hydrophilizing agent, i.e. being capable of removing the hydrophobic qualities of said stream selected from tetrahydrofuran, furfurol, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, isobutanol, piperidine, pyrrolidine, pyridine, methyl-tetrahydrofuran, diglyme, Light Cycle Oil, Vacuum Gas Oil; • sending the mixture consisting of said stream and said hydrophilizing agent to separation, separating a liquid phase containing most of the hydrophilizing agent and hydrocarbons dissolved from a solid phase; • preferably subjecting the solid phase separated to drying effected at a maximum temperature of 350°C in order to remove the medium-light hydrocarbon components from the solid phase; • sending the solid phase separated, preferably dried, to leaching with an alkaline solution in the presence of air and/or oxygen and possibly in the presence of an emulsifying agent or its precursor; • sending the leached mixture to separation, separating a solid residue from the liquor, characterized in that said bituminous mixtures are fed, before being sent to the extraction step, to a primary treatment, carried out in one or more steps, wherein said bituminous mixture are treated in the presence of a fluxing agent selected from the streams available in the process which have a pour point lower than 180°C, in a suitable apparatus at a temperature ranging from 80 to 180°C and subjected to liquid/solid separation to obtain a clarified product substantially consisting of liquids and a phase rich in solids sent to said extraction step. - Solid components not soluble in tetrahydrofuran - Metallic species - Carbonaceous residues - Liquid components soluble in tetrahydrofuran - Hydrocarbons with a boiling point higher than 170°C - Asphaltenes - Sulphur-containing organic species - Nitrogen-containing organic species • sending said stream to an extraction by mixing said stream with a hydrophilizing agent, i.e. being capable of removing the hydrophobic qualities of said stream selected from tetrahydrofuran, furfurol, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, isobutanol, piperidine, pyrrolidine, pyridine, methyl-tetrahydrofuran, diglyme, Light Cycle Oil, Vacuum Gas Oil; • sending the mixture consisting of said stream and said hydrophilizing agent to separation, separating a liquid phase containing most of the hydrophilizing agent and hydrocarbons dissolved from a solid phase; • preferably subjecting the solid phase separated to drying effected at a maximum temperature of 350°C in order to remove the medium-light hydrocarbon components from the solid phase; • sending the solid phase separated, preferably dried, to leaching with an alkaline solution in the presence of air and/or oxygen and possibly in the presence of an emulsifying agent or its precursor; • sending the leached mixture to separation, separating a solid residue from the liquor, <EOS>