## 1 Introduction
The addition of minerals plays a crucial role in shaping the paper's surface, improving its smoothness, printability, and optical and physical attributes. For instance, talc, diatomaceous earth, and calcium carbonate exhibit excellent pore-filling capabilities, resulting in a smoother paper surface and improved print quality. Furthermore, incorporating titanium dioxide can increase paper brightness and optical properties, enhancing its visual appeal. Despite extensive research on cellulose filling, detailed descriptions of this process still need to be expanded [37]. Consequently, there is a pressing need for additional investigations to enhance our understanding of the fundamental properties of minerals and their interactions with cellulose. For instance, barite (BaSO\({}_{4}\)) is a mineral filler in paper production because of its high reflectivity [38]. Recent studies [39] have demonstrated that cellulose acetate-barite composite sheets exhibit outstanding reflectivity of up to 98%, underscoring the promising potential of this filler. The incorporation of barite into paper production not only enhances its reflective properties but also improves its mechanical characteristics [40]. Moreover, barite enhances protection against X-ray radiation, making it a crucial component in producing paper with special properties [41]. Additionally, barite enhances the brightness of paper products and serves as a complementary filler in paper manufacturing, facilitating the attainment of specific properties and characteristics required for various paper types. The versatility of barite as a mineral additive underscores its pivotal role in enhancing paper quality and performance. Consequently, the utilization of barite-based paper production represents a modern direction with substantial potential for enhancing the properties of paper materials. Given the widespread occurrence of barite deposits in Kazakhstan [42], the adoption of barite-based paper production emerges as a contemporary trend with significant prospects for enhancing paper properties. Numerous factors influence paper's consumer properties, including the beating (pulp milling) process, the selection of cellulose materials, the incorporation of sizing and coloring agents, the addition of mineral fillers, and the processes of casting, pressing, drying, and calendering [43]. This study evaluates the quality of raw cellulose materials derived from grass clippings and the mineral filler barium sulfate used to produce handmade paper. This investigation focuses on the physical, mechanical, and structural characteristics of handmade paper samples derived from cellulose extracted from grass clippings using two distinct methods as follows: alkali treatment and bleaching, coupled with the incorporation of barium sulfate as a mineral filler. The objectives include highlighting the properties of the obtained paper, such as density, tensile strength, and folding endurance, and detailing the methods used to achieve these properties. The grass clippings (Festuca arundinacea) utilized in this study were collected from A. Baitursynov Park in Almaty, Kazakhstan, during the autumn of 2023. Almaty has about 130 green zones, including parks, squares, groves, boulevards, and alleys. The average morphological composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Almaty comprises approximately 28% of garden, wood, packaging, and cardboard waste. The total amount of MSW generated per year is approximately 400 thousand tons, with only 25% being recycled. Given these statistics, a significant portion of the MSW comes from garden and wood wastes. Assuming an average cellulose yield of 39-43% from grass clippings, this could result in a substantial amount of cellulose. At a national level, the potential cellulose yield from grass clippings could significantly contribute to sustainable paper production, reducing reliance on traditional wood sources and boosting recycling efforts.