Asphaltene is one of the constituents of crude oil that plays an important role in the physical behaviour of crude oil. It precipitates and deposits on the surface of equipments that are used to process crude oil and this is because asphaltene is the solid constituent of crude oil that contains a high percentage of Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Sulphur. The composition of asphaltene is yet to be fully explored due to the fact that it has a complex molecular structure. Several scholars have done research on the asphaltene content of crude oil, but this one concentrates on the effects that asphaltene has on the production and processing of petroleum. In this research paper, we highlighted past and current works and findings on the effect of asphaltenes on petroleum processing